Lanassa Colony
by Linwe Arcamenel
Summary: Donna finds herself aboard a space station, with no memory of how she got there. The station's residents are happy to welcome her into their midst, but something about the place just doesn't seem right. With the Doctor nowhere to be found, Donna decides to investigate on her own.
1. Chapter 1

Donna Noble awoke in a hospital bed, with no memory of how she had come to be there. She was lying on her back with her hands resting on her stomach. A white sheet covered her almost to her chest, above which Donna could see she was wearing a light blue hospital gown. There was a dull ache in the right side of her chest and her right shoulder, but other than that Donna just felt a bit tired. A bit tired, and a lot confused.

Donna glanced around the room. There was a door right across from her bed, topped by a scrolling marquis. Donna watched as the words "10:32 AM, September 4, 2016. Good morning, Donna Noble!" slowly made their way across the screen. There was a small table and two chairs to one side of her bed, all of which were empty.

None of it was the slightest bit familiar to Donna. She had no memory of this place, wherever it might be. She didn't remember coming to the year 2016, or how she had been injured. Where was she? And where was the Doctor?

The text on the marquis suddenly flashed. The message displaying the date vanished to be replaced by the words "Nurse entering", which flashed again before resuming scrolling. A moment later the doors slid open with a pneumatic hiss. A woman with light brown hair wearing spectacles and floral scrubs beneath a white lab coat stepped into the room. She smiled professionally at Donna.

"It's good to see you awake, finally," she said, sliding into one of the chairs beside Donna's bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Who on earth are you?" Donna all but shouted, taking the smile as a personal insult. "Where am I? Where's the Doctor? What's going on?"

The woman's smile vanished under the verbal barrage, to be replaced by a look that bordered on shock.

"Try and stay calm," she said soothingly. "You suffered a pretty traumatic injury. A little bit of amnesia is perfectly normal."

"Stay calm?" Donna shouted. "I'll stay calm when-"

"My name is Joanna," the nurse said, raising her voice to silence Donna. "You are in Lanassa Colony's hospital, one of the finest medical institutions in the Prianus system. Now tell me, Donna, what's the last thing you can remember?"

Donna frowned.

"I… I was on the Tardis with the Doctor. He got a message on the psychic paper and… we landed somewhere. A space station, I think?"

"That's right. The colony is an artificial habitation – a 'space station', as you say. You and your friend showed up here about three weeks ago. We had a bit of a problem with some saboteurs, but your friend managed to clear it up for us. Unfortunately, you got caught in a crossfire and took a hit in the chest." Her face assumed an expression of concern. "We were worried we'd lose you."

"Where's the Doctor now? Can you send him in?"

"No," Joanna said.

"Why not?" Donna demanded.

"I'm sorry," Joanna said, hesitating. "He's not here anymore. He left."

"What?" That didn't make any sense. "No he didn't!"

"I'm sorry."

"He wouldn't just up and leave me stranded here!"

"He waited for a long time," Joanna said. "Almost two weeks. Didn't eat. Barely slept. We had to chase him out of here before he would do either. But we honestly didn't know if you were going to make it, and when your condition didn't change, one day he finally just… left."

"Well when's he coming back then?" He had to be coming back. He wouldn't just leave her here.

"I'm sorry," the nurse apologized again. Did the woman have to keep looking at her like that? She didn't need anyone's sympathy! She was fine! "He didn't say anything about coming back."

Donna stared at the woman, mouth slightly ajar but no sounds coming out. She was lying. She had to be. The Doctor would never abandon her like that!

"Donna," the woman said gently. "Your friend… he didn't strike me as the type to stay in one place for very long."

Donna thought about it. That much, at least, was true. With the Doctor they were always moving. There was always something else to do, something else to see, never the same old thing, day in, day out. What would the Doctor do, trapped in one place and time, with no way of knowing when he would be able to leave again and return to the stars? Maybe… maybe he would leave. But he still wouldn't abandon her.

"He's coming back," Donna said certainly.

"I… well. It's possible."

"He's coming back," Donna said stubbornly. She glared at Joanna, daring the woman to challenge her further.

"Of course," Joanna said. Then she cleared her throat. "But in the meantime, the Doctor has paid for you to have a place here on Lanassa Colony. As soon as you're well enough to leave the hospital, we can get you settled in. Now, let's have a look at you."

* * *

Donna spent the night in the hospital with the promise that she would be released in the morning. Donna couldn't see as it mattered terribly. She was stuck on this colony until the Doctor came back for her. What difference did it make if she was stuck in a hospital, or stuck in a suite?

Nurse Joanna had given Donna an injection to help with the pain in her chest and then departed, promising to bring Donna something to pass the time. A short time later she returned with a tablet-like device she said would give Donna access to a large library of books, games, and movies she could amuse herself with. And so the day passed with Donna perusing the literature of the future and trying not to think about being trapped in said future, alone, light years away from earth.

At 10:00 p.m. the lights went off in Donna's wing of the hospital, and the sounds of footsteps and carts in the hall slowed until it stopped. The hospital was still. Reluctantly, Donna shut off her tablet and set it aside, her tired eyes demanding sleep.

But unfortunately, while her eyes were ready for rest, her mind refused to cooperate. Without the distraction of her reading, her mind kept coming back to one thing: the Doctor had left her here. Why? How could he do such a thing? Had he really just been _bored?_ And why hadn't he come back for her yet? He had a time machine – he could have been back in five minutes. What if something had happened to him? What if he never came back?

She lay there on her back, staring at the marquis over the door and chasing worrisome thoughts around her head in endless circles. The words "12:29 AM, September 5, 2016. Good morning, Donna Noble!" marched across the screen in glowing letters that offered no comfort. The letters flickered, for a moment becoming a string of unintelligible numbers, then snapped back to their original configuration and continued their trip across the screen. Donna blinked, uncertain that she had really seen it happen. She watched the marquis for a while, but the glitch was not repeated. It was close to two in the morning before Donna finally drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

"Good morning, Donna Noble!"

For a moment, Donna wondered if the marquis had found a voice, but when she blinked the sleep from her eyes she found that Joanna was striding through the door. Joanna tossed a bundle of clothing onto the table beside Donna's bed.

"And how are we feeling this morning?"

"Oh, just lovely," Donna said irritably.

"I've found some new clothes for you – I'm afraid your other shirt was ruined, although I've had the rest of what you were wearing sent to your quarters. Once you're up and dressed we'll take you there."

"Thanks, I guess," Donna said.

Joanna slipped out into the hall while Donna got changed. It was a little awkward getting the shirt on – her right shoulder was just a bit stiff – but she managed and went out to rejoin Joanna.

"How do I look?" Donna asked, spinning herself around to show off the borrowed clothes.

"They fit you well enough," Joanna said. "Shall we?"

"Lead on."

They headed on down the corridor, which was surprisingly quiet. None of the rooms they passed appeared to have occupants, and only one other staff member passed them in the hall, pushing a cart of clean towels.

"For the best hospital in the sector, you don't seem to get a lot of patients," Donna observed into the silence.

"Most of our patients are on the other side of the hospital, unfortunately," Joanna said.

"The other side?"

Joanna sighed, looking down at her feet rather than at Donna.

"Well, I suppose you had to find out eventually. Our hospital is divided in half. This is the clean side, where we see to the medical needs of the colony residents and staff. The other side is the hazard side. That's where we treat the plague victims."

"Plague?" Donna asked alarmed.

"Relax," Joanna said. "It doesn't affect humans."

"Wait," Donna said. She stopped in her tracks. "You mean…" She looked Joanna up and down, incredulous. "You're not…"

Joanna looked over her shoulder and laughed at the expression on Donna's face.

"Oh, heavens no! You're the only human here, Donna. We're Stovians."

"But… you look…"

"It's a fairly common body plan among sentient species. I'd have thought you'd be used to the idea, traveling with a Time Lord."

Joanna started walking again. Donna stared after her a moment longer, then hurried to catch up.

"So, this plague then. It's a real problem on the station?"

"No, thankfully," Joanna said. "We've kept it out of the residential area. But that has made us a rather desirable destination for people planet-side looking to escape the disease. We get hundreds of applicants a day and we have to screen them here."

"And the sick ones end up in the other half of the hospital?"

"We do what we can for them here, but most of them we have to send back," Joanna explained. "We just don't have the facilities for the volume of cases we see."

"Isn't there a cure?" Donna asked. Joanna said nothing. "I'm sorry."

They continued down the hall in silence. Up ahead, a pair of large, metal doorways appeared. The marquis above the rightmost one proclaimed "To Residential Sector: Decontamination Required." Beside the door was a young woman with strawberry blonde hair, looking intently at a tablet she was holding. She looked up as they approached.

"Hello!" She said with a smile. She switched the tablet off and slid it into a pocket of her lab coat.

"Donna, this is Nancy. Nancy, Donna."

"Hello," Donna said, taking the hand Nancy had extended.

"Lovely meeting you," Nancy said.

"Nancy has been good enough to agree to show you around the station for a few hours," Joanna said. There was a sternness in Joanna's tone and in the look she gave Nancy as she said this that made the younger woman seem to wilt slightly. She nervously pushed her glasses back up her nose.

"That's very kind of you," Donna said reassuringly, wondering what was going on between these two.

"Now, I'm sorry to leave you Donna, but you are in capable hands and I'm afraid I've got a lot of work to do here."

"Of course," Donna said politely. "Don't let me keep you."

Joanna nodded with satisfaction, then turned and strode back down the hall, high heels clicking purposefully against the floor.

"Don't mind her," Nancy said. "She just gets very… focused, sometimes."

Donna nodded.

"Would you like to see your quarters first?"

"I suppose," Donna said. Nancy smiled.

"Right this way."

She pushed a button to the side of the big, metal doors. The marquis overhead switched to read "Biolock Opening" and then the doors slid open. Donna followed Nancy into the tiny room beyond. The doors slid shut behind them.

"This is the decontamination chamber," Nancy explained. The marquis over the next door flashed "Decontamination commencing" and a bright light suddenly filled the room.

"I thought we were in the clean half of the hospital?" Donna said. Nancy nodded.

"That's right. But we'd rather be safe than sorry, so you have to go through a biolock like this to get from any part of the hospital section to the residential section. If something were to happen and the clean half got contaminated, we'd rather it stay there than make it any farther."

The light switched back off and the message over the door changed. "Cycling atmosphere" it proclaimed. Vents opened on opposite sides of the room, and in a moment Donna could feel a breeze moving through the chamber toward the hospital side.

"The atmospheres in the residential and hospital areas are kept completely separate," Nancy explained. "In another moment virtually none of the air in this room will be the air we came in with."

Sure enough, the vents closed themselves and the far door finally slid open. "Welcome to Lanassa Colony, Residential Sector" the marquis scrolled. On the other side of the door Donna was greeted by a blast of green. Tall, leafy plants in pots lined the walls, with a few curving sofas nestled in among them. "Welcome to Lanassa Colony" was painted in bold letters across the archway on the other side of the room.

"Well, welcome to your new home!" Nancy said with a smile. Donna smiled back politely.

"Thanks," she said. "But I won't be staying long. Just until the Doctor gets back."

"Oh," Nancy said. "Right. Of course."

Donna felt a flash of irritation.

"Why does nobody around here seem to think he's coming back?" she snapped. "You don't know him! He'd never leave someone behind! No matter what was standing in the way, he'd find a way to get back! So don't give me that… that… _patronizing_ look!"

Donna finished her tirade and was finally able to look at the short woman standing in front of her again. Nancy looked like she was about to melt into the floor.

"Sorry," Donna said. "I just-"

"No," Nancy said, surprisingly firmly. "No, I think you're right. I think… I think your friend left because he had something very important to do, and once he finishes it he'll come back for you."

Donna narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Did you talk to him? Did he tell you something?"

Nancy shook her head quickly.

"I only spoke to him the once, just before he left. That was just the sense I got from him, you know?"

Donna let out her breath in a short sigh.

"Yeah, I know," she said. "Anyway, I suppose you were giving me a tour?"

Nancy's smile returned immediately.

"Right this way!"

She strode on across the little atrium and through the archway. There, they entered a hallway which split in two, curving away in either direction. Nancy turned left and started down the hall. The walls were made of dull metal and the floors tiled, but more of those potted plants placed at regular intervals down the hall gave the place a livelier feel.

"All the private rooms are on this ring along the outside," Nancy explained as they went, passing a succession of closed doors. "The common areas are in the center. There's the cafeteria, ballroom, gaming area, library, swimming pool…" she counted the station's amenities off on her fingers as she listed them. "Pretty much anything you could ask for."

Nancy stopped in front of one of the closed doors and pulled a key card out of her pocket. She slid the card into a slot by the door which beeped cheerily in response.

"And this," Nancy said, throwing the door open with a flourish. "Is your place. For however long you need it."

Donna accepted the key card from Nancy as she stepped past her and into the room. It wasn't much. There was a sitting area with a sofa, a coffee table, and a television. There was a small kitchen set up off to one side of the sitting area, and across the sitting area from the door Donna could see her bedroom.

"Well?" Nancy chirped. "What do you think?"

"It's very nice," Donna said. "I'm sure I'll enjoy staying here."

Nancy smiled.

"Here, let me show you where they've put your things."

Nancy led Donna into the bedroom, where a large wardrobe stood against one wall. Nancy pulled it open to reveal a modest assortment of clothing hanging inside.

"Joanna already picked up some things for you to wear," Nancy informed. "But if you need anything else, don't hesitate to let me know."

She closed the wardrobe and then pointed to the back corner of the bedroom, where there was another door.

"Your shower is back that way."

They returned to the main room.

"There's a few things for you to eat in your kitchen," Nancy said. "But most of the residents enjoy eating together in the cafeteria. I'm sure you'll want to get to know them and make some friends. And this," Nancy said, picking up a remote and turning on the television. "Is your computer."

The screen lit up and resolved itself into a soothing blue background with the words "Welcome Donna Noble" written across it. A number of icons ringed the screen.

"You can get books and movies, submit a maintenance request, call other residents, search the internet, pretty much anything you can think of from here."

"Can it make calls outside the colony?" Donna asked eagerly.

"Sorry, I'm afraid not," Nancy replied.

"Oh," Donna said, disappointed. _Idiot,_ she told herself. _How would you even call the Doctor, anyway?_ Donna looked around her new sitting room, wondering what to do with herself now. There was a depressing sparseness to the room. It had all the furniture Donna could have wanted, but lacked any sort of personal touch. It didn't have the feel of a room that belonged to anyone, and Donna had absolutely nothing she could use to correct that lack. The only things here that she owned were the clothes she'd been wearing when she stepped off the Tardis. Minus one shirt.

"If you'd like," Nancy said, seeming to notice Donna's listlessness. "I could show you to the cafeteria now so you can meet your neighbors."

Donna smiled with relief. Something to do!

"Thank you. That would be very nice."


	3. Chapter 3

"Here we are!" Nancy said cheerfully. The cafeteria was a long room with a buffet table running down its center and clusters of little round tables scattered around to either side. It must have been about lunch time, because the cafeteria was bustling with people, all talking and laughing and piling plates with food. "Well, I'd better be going now."

"What?" Donna said, turning to Nancy in alarm. "Aren't you going to introduce me to everyone?"

"Sorry," Nancy said bashfully. "I don't usually interact with the residents much, so I don't actually know any of the others."

"So what do you do here then?"

"I'm a technician. I take care of the colony's central computer. And I really should be getting back to work, sorry."

"No, don't worry about it," Donna said, forcing a smile. "Thank you for taking the time to show me around."

"Don't mention it," Nancy said. She ducked her head and turned away, heading back out into the hall.

Donna surveyed the room for a moment, trying to decide her course of action. Finally her stomach decided for her. She hadn't had anything to eat yet today, and nothing but hospital food yesterday. She made her way over to the line for the buffet table and took her place behind an older woman with grey hair.

"Hello there," the woman said, noticing her. She extended a hand with a friendly smile. "I'm Cheryl. I don't believe we've met."

"Donna," Donna said shaking Cheryl's hand. "I'm new."

"Oh, I didn't know we'd had another ship come in. Roger," Cheryl said, tapping the man in front of her on the arm. He turned to see what was up. "This is Donna. She's new here."

"Well hello there, Donna," Roger said, shaking her hand. "Lanassa Colony's a great place to live. You'll like it here."

"Thanks," Donna said. They shuffled forward a bit as the line moved. "But I'm actually not staying long. I guess you could say I'm a guest."

"What do you mean?" Cheryl asked, putting a plate and some silverware on a tray. Donna followed suit.

"I was just visiting the colony, but now I'm sort of stuck here until my friend comes back for me. They gave me a suite here in the meantime."

"Really?" Roger said, looking up from the food he was spooning onto his plate. It looked almost like mashed potatoes. "I wouldn't have thought they'd do that for someone, what with the waiting list to get in here and all. You must be one lucky girl."

Donna looked over the food on the buffet, trying to decide whether or not it was safe for human consumption. Some of the dishes looked almost like earth food. But then, some of the other dishes were glowing.

"Well, my friend was the one who helped stop those saboteurs a couple weeks back, so I guess they owed him a favor."

 _What the heck,_ Donna thought, putting a small spoonful of the glowing vegetables on her plate next to the thing that looked like mashed potatoes and some kind of meat.

"Saboteurs?" Cheryl gasped. "Oh, Roger, how awful. Did you know anything about that?" Roger shook his head.

"What, they didn't say anything about it?" Donna asked.

"No," Cheryl said. "We haven't heard a thing. I imagine they didn't want to worry us. Really, the staff here are all such dears. They take such good care of us. We never have to worry about a thing."

They'd reached the end of the buffet line. Donna picked up a glass of some sort of blue juice and set it on her tray.

"You'll join us for lunch, won't you Donna? I wouldn't want you to be lonely."

Donna smiled.

"I'd love to."

"Come on, Roger, let's go sit with Megan and Andy, we haven't talked with them in a bit."

Donna and Roger followed Cheryl to a table over by the wall where a younger couple was already seated. The pair looked up and smiled as they saw Cheryl approaching.

"Megan, Andy, I'd like you to meet Donna. She's new here. Donna, this is Megan and Andy."

There was a chorus of hello's as they all got seated.

"So, how long have you all been living here?" Donna asked.

"Well, let's see," Cheryl said, thinking. "It must have been… oh, what ten years ago now I moved up here?" Cheryl said, looking to Roger for confirmation. Roger shrugged.

"I can never keep track of what you tell me, Cheryl."

"Well, I think it was ten. So then it would have been eight years ago that Roger got here, and then Megan and Andy just moved in a couple months ago."

"You mean you and Roger didn't come here at the same time?" Donna asked, surprised.

"No!" Cheryl said. "Of course not. Why would we?"

"Sorry," Donna said, blushing a bit. "I guess I kind of assumed you were married."

The table erupted with good-natured laughter and Donna grinned sheepishly.

"Don't worry," Megan said. "It's an easy mistake to make."

"We're not married either," Andy clarified, pointing to himself and Megan.

"Don't any of you have family on the colony, then?" Donna asked.

"Nope," Cheryl said. "Not us. I guess that's why we stick together."

Friendly smiles were exchanged all around the table.

"But then you must have family back on the planet?" Donna said. Cheryl and Roger were old enough to be widowed, maybe, but Megan and Andy couldn't be older than thirty. They'd still have someone. The friendly smiles vanished the moment Donna asked her question. Megan looked down at her plate and poked some vegetable Donna didn't recognize with her fork. Andy put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

 _Of course,_ Donna thought. _The plague._

"I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have asked."

"Oh, it's alright dear," Cheryl reassured her. "We've all been there."

Donna picked up a forkful of meat and took a bite. It tasted a bit like beef, but with a spicy aftertaste. It was actually quite good.

"So what about you then, Donna?" Cheryl asked after a short stretch of silence. "Who's this mysterious friend of yours you're waiting for?"

"Well, we're not married," Donna said, earning a few chuckles. "He's called the Doctor. He's a Time Lord."

"No," Roger said. "Seriously?" Donna nodded. "I thought they were extinct?"

"No," Donna replied. "There's at least one of them left." _Or there was last I checked… oh, I hope nothing's happened to him!_

"You know, she's right Roger, there were those rumors. You remember those rumors about the last of the Time Lords, traveling the galaxy in a blue box and saving worlds? I'm sure I heard that somewhere."

"It was the Titanic," Andy chimed in.

"What?" Donna said.

"The Titanic. It was a luxury cruise liner made to look like an old Earth sea ship. Well, anyway, it had this horrible accident on a cruise near Earth about ten years back. Nearly crashed into the planet! Only one member of the crew and one of the passengers survived, but they reported working with a man who claimed to be a Time Lord. He saved the ship and the planet, but vanished before the rescue team got there."

"No," Donna said. "You are kidding me."

"Well, it was only a rumor; he might not have been there at all."

"I thought that one was fake!" Donna shouted. "An alien ship shaped like the Titanic? Really? And he didn't say a thing! Just let me go on thinking it was a hoax."

"So you've heard of it then?" Andy asked.

"Yeah," Donna said, calming down. "Yeah, I'm from Earth. The Doctor brought me here from there."

"You're from Earth?" Cheryl said, thrilled. "That's wonderful! I've never met an alien before. Isn't that wonderful, Roger?"

For the rest of the lunch Donna was interrogated – politely – about Earth, human culture, and traveling with the Doctor. There were a lot of questions she couldn't really answer – these Stovians apparently had a very poor sense of Earth's governments and culture, and they kept asking her the wildest questions about Earth holidays – but she told them what she could and they all seemed rather pleased with the whole thing.

After lunch Cheryl and Roger volunteered to show Donna around the rest of the colony. The residential sector turned out to have several floors, each consisting of a ring of rooms around the central area, which contained all of the recreational facilities. The swimming pool was particularly nice. It was a large space, the upper floors were simply balconies around it, and it was really more of a cross between a swimming pool and an exotic garden. At the top the ceiling was a thick, glass pane open to the stars.

It was a lovely tour, but Donna had trouble focusing on what Cheryl and Roger were telling her. Every time she saw a flash of blue out of the corner of her eye, Donna would turn her head, expecting the Tardis to be materializing, only to find a trash can instead. She kept scanning the crowds for a glimpse of a man in a long brown coat, but he was never there. Eventually Donna reluctantly parted from Cheryl and Roger and made her way down the elevator back to her own floor. Finding her room again, she slid the keycard into the lock and let herself in. The lights switched on as she entered and she sighed wearily. It had been a long day.

There was a beeping sound coming from her computer. She walked over to it and saw that the screen was telling her there were two messages waiting for her. Excitement surged through her and she grabbed the remote, trying to figure out how to work the thing. After a few moments of uncertain button pushing, she managed to get the first one to display. It was from Nancy.

 _Hi Donna! Hope you had a good first day at Lanassa! Remember to let me know if you need anything! :)_

Donna smiled in spite of her disappointment and hit the reply button.

 _Thanks, Nancy. The people here are all very friendly. I have everything I need._

 _Except a certain Time Lord,_ she mentally added. Donna pressed send and then opened the next message. She frowned. The message was from "No Sender" and the body of the message was just a lot of gobbledygook computer code. Donna deleted the message and then opened up a new message to Nancy.

 _Actually, Nancy, there might be something you can do. I think my computer has a virus or something. I got a message from no one that was all just nonsense. You work on the computer here, right? Think you could take a look?_

She hit send and then shut the computer back down. Only then did she remember the glitch on the hospital marquis the night before. Maybe it wasn't just her computer. Should she tell Nancy? Donna decided against it. If there was a problem Nancy would find it, and right now Donna was tired and needed to go to bed. Heading back into the bedroom, Donna managed to locate a set of pajamas and a tooth brush. Emerging from the bathroom a few minutes later with bare feet and clean teeth, Donna hit the light switch and headed for the bed.

Donna frowned. The suite was still light. Looking out the bedroom door, Donna could see that the computer screen was lit up. Irritated, she walked back into the other room, intending to shut it off, but she paused before hitting the button on the remote. There was a file open, and Cheryl's picture was smiling at her from the screen.

 _Cheryl Montgomery_ , the screen said. _Age: 74. Gender: Female. Date of Birth: 27 December 1942. Acquired: 17 August, 2016. Hometown: Faris, Terens Province. Marital Status: Married._

It went on. There were files for Roger, Andy, and Megan, as well, and a number of files for people Donna hadn't met. Roger was also listed as married, as was Andy, although Megan was single. There were even some facts about these spouses as well, and sometimes children. All five of them had that same line, "Acquired", with a date sometime around August 17th. Donna wasn't really sure what "Acquired" meant, but it almost sounded foreboding.

 _August 17_ _th_ _,_ Donna thought. That would have been about three weeks ago. The same time she and the Doctor were supposed to have arrived. Suddenly, the screen flashed. The files about Cheryl and the others disappeared behind a new window, some sort of technical report about oxygen consumption. That rapidly vanished behind a floor plan, and then a black terminal window opened up with a long line of commands scrolling rapidly by. Donna glanced down at the remote, wondering what she'd done. After a moment the screen stilled again.

Donna found herself looking at a long list of names and room numbers. She looked down the list and again found Cheryl and the others and also herself. It was a directory of the colony, she guessed. It took Donna a moment to notice what was odd about it. A number of the suites had no names next to them – maybe one in ten.

" _I wouldn't have thought they'd do that for someone,"_ she heard Roger saying. _"What with the waiting list to get in here and all."_

Yet one in ten rooms was empty. And another thing - every occupied room had a single name next to it. One occupant to a suite. There were no families, no couples, none anywhere on the station. There were also dates next to the rooms. Today's date was written next to Donna's name. August 17th was written next to Cheryl's. None of the names had a date from before three weeks ago.

Donna pressed a button on the remote, trying to determine where these files were coming from and if there were anymore, but as soon as she did everything disappeared and she was back on her desktop. Donna watched the screen for a moment, but when nothing else happened she finally turned it off and went back to the bedroom. She crawled underneath the covers and lay on her back, feeling very unsettled. Something was going on at this colony, something strange. She wished the Doctor was here. He'd get to the bottom of this mess, for sure. But he wasn't.

That didn't change the fact that someone needed to do something. Donna took a deep breath, feeling the slight ache in her shoulder that was all that remained of her injury, and let it out again. She didn't know if she could do half as a good a job investigating this mess as the Doctor would, but she was the only one here to do it. So she would just have to do it herself.


	4. Chapter 4

"So, what do you all do around here, then?" Donna asked into a lull in the conversation. Breakfast on Lanassa Colony bore almost no resemblance to the corresponding meal on earth. Donna poked her fork through an assortment of things on her plate that she was fairly certain were fruit, working up the courage to take a bite.

"Whatever we like!" Cheryl said cheerfully. "Why? Did you have something in mind for the day? Oh, I think there's a film playing around ten that's supposed to be good. Would you like to go?"

"No, I don't mean for fun," Donna said. "I mean what do you do? For a job?"

"A job?" Roger said quizzically.

"Well, you must do something," Donna said. "This is a colony, not a pleasure resort. You don't honestly just spend every day like you're on holiday, do you?"

"Well, yes," Cheryl said. "We do."

"But then how does the colony keep running? Who pays for the… I don't know, all the… space stuff?"

"We do, of course," Cheryl said.

"But none of you have jobs! Where do you get the money?"

"We…" Cheryl trailed off, a strange expression coming over her face. "Well now, that's funny. I don't actually know." She laughed at herself. "It's funny the things that slip your mind, you get to be my age. Roger, how do you pay for your suite?"

Roger was already frowning, brow furrowed.

"I… can't remember either," he admitted.

"You too?" Cheryl said incredulously. "Well now isn't that… Andy, Megan, you two must know."

The younger couple – _not actually a couple,_ Donna reminded herself – were already shaking their heads and looking slightly worried.

"None of you know?" Donna said, incredulous. "You're just living up here on this big floaty luxury space station and you haven't got the foggiest notion how you can afford to live here?"

"Now, I suppose that is a bit odd," Cheryl said.

"You know what I think?" Donna said, leaning in and lowering her voice. "I think there's something going on on this station. Something the staff doesn't want us to know."

"Oh, heavens!" Roger chuckled. "Only one day here and already she's becoming a conspiracy theorist."

"What, you don't think it's odd?"

"I do think it's odd," Roger assured her. "I just think you're overreacting."

"Ask Joanna about it if there's something bothering you," Cheryl said. "She's in charge of the residents. She'll know the answer, I'm sure. Now, about that film later…"

The conversation moved back to plans for the day ahead and Donna let talk of her suspicions drop. The other colonists seemed content with their lives and convinced that an explanation existed somewhere. For her part, the morning's conversation had done nothing to help Donna's growing sense of unease.

* * *

Donna stepped into the lift and hit the button for the next floor. There weren't as many residents on the upper levels of the colony – much of it appeared to be given over to storage space – but Donna hoped she could find at least a few of the people she'd seen files for last night. She'd taken her leave of Cheryl and the others who had in fact decided to go and see the film and set out to confront the mystery of Lanassa Colony.

In all honesty, she wasn't really sure where to start. The contradictions she'd found in the stories her friends and their files told convinced her something was going on but – what? And why? And how did she find out more? All Donna could think of to do was talk to more of the colonists and see if she could piece together any common threads in the contradictions.

The lift suddenly came to a stop and a red light came on. Donna looked up in surprise. The marquis over the door was scrolling a new message: _Emergency Stop. We apologize for the inconvenience._ Donna hit the open door button. Nothing happened. Donna hit it several more times. _If the doors do not open,_ the marquis scrolled, _the lift may not be at a valid floor._

"Oh come _on_ ," Donna groaned. She pounded on the door with her fist. "Oi! Anyone out there? Lift's stuck! I could use a hand!"

No response. A line of orange arrows lit up along the wall of the lift. _Please follow the emergency lighting to the nearest exit,_ the marquis helpfully explained. The arrows marched up the wall to a tiny hatch on the ceiling.

"You are kidding me," Donna groaned. The arrows remained resolutely lit and the marquis continued to scroll its message. Muttering under her breath, Donna cast about for a way to approach the problem, then went to the corner of the lift and stepped up onto the hand rail running around the outside of the lift. Steadying herself against the wall, she carefully stood and managed to reach the ceiling.

There was a handle on the hatch. She turned it and pushed, and the hatch swung up into the space above the lift. Donna put her arms through the hole and somehow managed to climb out onto the top of the elevator. There were more of the glowing orange arrows in the elevator shaft, this time leading to a crawl space in the wall.

"They've thought of everything, haven't they?" Donna groused. She went over to examine the crawl space. It was more than large enough for her, so she just shrugged and climbed in.

 _What are these vents even for?_ Donna wondered, as she crawled along on her belly, always in the direction indicated by the helpful orange arrows. _And why do they have emergency lighting in here? Is this_ supposed _to be a people tunnel?_ The arrows ended at a grate in the floor of the tunnel. Donna gave it an experimental push and it swung downward. There wasn't a ladder or anything. It was just a straight drop to the floor below. After a little maneuvering, Donna managed to lower herself through it and drop.

She landed almost gracefully in a crouch, steadying herself with one hand against the floor.

"Well, that was an adventure," she muttered standing up and dusting herself off. "Loving the safety features on this station. Where on earth am I now?"

She cast about at her surroundings. Boxes. Definitely one of the storage areas. And –

Her heart froze.

It was bluer than she remembered. It had to be. It had never looked this wonderful before, standing there in the corner, completely incongruous in its surroundings despite its disguise, the bold white letters proclaiming "Police Public Call Box" across the top, just as if that was a sensible thing to say in the year 2016.

"Doctor!" Donna called excitedly. She'd known he'd come back for her! She was at the Tardis door in an eye blink. "Doctor!" The door failed to open when she tried it. Donna frowned and pushed again. The door rattled but didn't move. Donna knocked. "Doctor? Doctor, are you in there? It's Donna! The door's locked!"

Again, no answer. Donna looked at the Tardis again, more carefully. The words across the top of the box were dark. No light seemed to be flowing out from the windows. Donna began to worry. She fumbled in her pocket for the Tardis key, then fit it into the lock. The door opened for her and she stepped inside.

It was dim in the Tardis interior. Donna had never seen it so dark before. Even the central column lacked all but the faintest of green glows. It was as if the ship were sleeping.

"Hello?" Donna called out in a small, tentative voice, feeling foolish to address a room that felt so profoundly empty. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Hello!"

Donna stepped tentatively toward the console, and the lights brightened. The glow in the central column swelled, and Donna heard a faint hum almost like the ship was greeting her. She put out a hand and ran it lightly across the controls. They were all cold. Not that that meant anything, really, but to Donna it only seemed to underscore the distinct absence of the Doctor on the ship. She made a slow circle around the console, listening to the quiet hum of the Tardis. When she reached the bench on the far side, she sat down and stared off into space.

She waited a good long while, but in truth she had known at the outset it was useless. The air of abandonment about the Tardis was palpable when she arrived. The Doctor had not just stepped out for a quick stroll around the colony. It had been a long time since he had been here. The conclusion appeared to be inescapable: Joanna had lied. Either the Doctor had never left Lanassa Colony, or he had not gone willingly.

Donna stayed where she was for a time, sitting on the bench and listening to the hum of the Tardis while she pondered what to do next. Part of her pondered what to next, that is. Another part was simply hoping that she was wrong, and if she sat here long enough the Doctor would come strolling in through the door, whistling to himself as if he had not a care in the universe. So she sat, and thought, and waited. She waited a good long while for the Doctor to return. But of course, he never did.


	5. Chapter 5

Donna's heart pounded in her ears as she made her way down the hall toward her quarters. She found that the potted plants lining the hall now infuriated her. Those plants were a lie, making this place feel homey and welcoming when it was full of secrets and lies. Donna still didn't know what to do. She now had proof that Joanna had lied. Did she confront the woman? Demand answers? Maybe that was too risky. Maybe Donna should wait until she knew more about what Joanna was really up to. But how was she going to get that information? And what might be happening to the Doctor in the meantime?

Donna reached her door and slid the key card into the lock. It beeped and the door opened. Donna hurried inside. She needed to be alone, needed to think.

"Hello there, Donna."

Donna nearly jumped out of her skin. It was Joanna. The woman was sitting on Donna's couch, casually sipping tea. Today she was dressed in a blouse and slacks.

"What are you doing here?" Donna demanded.

"I came to check on you, obviously," Joanna replied. "Cheryl said that you were worried about something. You weren't here when I got here, but I had some free time so I thought I'd let myself in and wait. Is something the matter, Donna?"

Joanna looked at Donna with an expression of earnest concern. _It's too soon!_ Donna thought. _I don't know what I'm doing! What do I say?_ Screw it. Donna had never been one to tiptoe around the issue.

"I know you lied to me."

Joanna's eyebrows shot up.

"Donna! What would ever give you that impression?"

"Don't patronize me! I found the Tardis today. It looked like it'd been abandoned for weeks. The Doctor never left, did he?"

Joanna pursed her lips and moved to set her tea down on the table, breaking Donna's gaze.

"Where is he? Why did you lie?"

"I'm sorry, Donna. I didn't want to make your situation more difficult for you than it had to be."

"How does lying about the Doctor make things easier? If you'd just tell me – "

"Donna," Joanna said sharply, cutting her off. "I'm sorry. He's dead."

Donna felt as though her blood had been replaced with ice water. It suddenly felt harder to breathe. All her worries about Lanassa Colony floated out a window in her mind, and only one word echoed in the emptiness left behind. _Dead?_

"No…" Donna mumbled, still reeling from the shock. Joanna was suddenly beside her, leading her over to the couch and encouraging her to sit down. Something wasn't right here. "How?"

"You remember the sabotage attempt I told you about?"

Donna nodded numbly.

"There was a bomb on the colony's infrastructure. If it had gone off the colony would have been destroyed, we all would have died. But the bomb was leaking radiation – he said it had been designed that way on purpose, to keep us from defusing it. He defused it anyway, and the radiation poisoning killed him just a short time later. There was nothing we could do."

She explained it all in such a gentle, apologetic tone, looking Donna in the eyes, brow furrowed with regret and concern. She seemed so sincere.

"I'm sorry, Donna. I really am. He saved us all."

But this woman was a liar.

"I want to see the body," Donna said, voice ragged as she fought back a traitorous urge to cry.

"I'm not sure – "

"You lied to me once!" Donna shouted. "I'm not trusting you again unless I see the body."

"If you're sure," Joanna said reluctantly. She stood and headed for the door. Donna's heart plunged. Joanna had actually agreed to it. As if she really had the Doctor's body.

Heart pounding, Donna followed Joanna to the door and out into the hall. They turned right, heading down the hall toward the hospital the way Nancy had brought Donna yesterday. They passed through the little atrium with the couches and the welcome sign and stopped in front of the biolock. _Biolock Opening_ , the marquis said.

They stepped out into the hospital. The sterile white halls were as empty as Donna remembered.

"The morgue is this way," Joanna said.

Donna followed her down a hall she hadn't been in before. It ended at a lift. They stepped inside and Joanna pressed a button. Donna felt the lift move down. Joanna was really taking her to the morgue. She couldn't be telling the truth. Donna felt tears welling up and choked them down.

The lift opened. It seemed darker down here. More utilitarian. Patients didn't normally come here. Joanna led the way through a series of turns. They passed men in security uniforms who gave Donna odd glances, but after looking to Joanna none questioned her presence. Finally they stopped beside a thoroughly non-descript door. One of the security men stood beside it. He raised an eyebrow at Joanna. Joanna ignored him and turned to Donna.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" she asked.

Donna fought back a wave of panic. Did she want to go through with this? Maybe she should just go back. Pretend nothing had happened. If she didn't see the Doctor's body, Joanna could still be lying. He could still be coming back for her. He didn't have to be dead. _I have to know._ Resolutely, Donna nodded.

Joanna sighed and stood aside. Donna stepped toward the door. At a nod from Joanna, the security man punched a key code and the door slid open.

On the other side was a tiny, empty room. A rough shove from behind propelled Donna into the cell. She caught her balance and spun just in time to see Joanna giving her a sour look as the door slid shut.

"Oi!" Donna threw herself against the door, but it didn't budge. "Let me out!" She yelled, furious, pounding against the metal. "You.. you… snakes! You lying, backstabbing, ferrets! Let me out of here!" The noise of her fists rang hollowly through the cell. "What did you do with him?" Donna shrieked. " _What did you do with him?_ "

The solid metal door was completely unfazed by her assault. It remained resolutely closed, and no answer came from the other side. Donna growled angrily and paced to the other side of the cell, kicking the wall irritably.

"Brilliant work, Donna," she chided herself.

She glanced around the confines of the tiny room and then, unexpectedly, felt a smile steal across her lips. There was at least one bright spot in this turn of events. Joanna _had_ been bluffing. And that meant that, wherever he was, the Doctor was still alive.


	6. Chapter 6

Donna drummed her fingertips against the floor beside her, slowly. There was no hurry. She'd had nothing to do but stare at four identical walls for at least a half hour. Abruptly, the door to her cell slid open. Donna looked up to see who was entering. The doorway was empty. Donna cocked her head, giving the opening a skeptical look. This had to be another trick of some sort.

Nothing happened. Cautiously, Donna got to her feet and went over to the door. She poked her head out into the hall. The guard from earlier was nowhere to be seen. Donna turned her head left to right. The hall was completely empty. A flicker of motion drew her eyes to one of the station's ubiquitous marquises. The text had just changed. _Donna Noble,_ it said, and then there was an arrow pointing to the left. _Run._

What were they playing at now? Donna heard footsteps approaching from the other end of the hall. _RUN! \\\\-sysN.37.L_ The marquis said.

"Oh for the love of…" Donna yanked off her shoes and scurried down the hall at top speed, moving silently on her sock clad feet. The door to her cell slid shut behind her as she dashed down the hall and skidded around the corner. No cries of alarm were raised in the hall behind her. Apparently she had made it around the corner in time.

 _Donna Noble →_ said a marquis some twenty feet down the hall ahead of her. Not bothering to question this time, Donna sprinted down the hall and around the corner as indicated, already looking for the next marquis.

 _Donna Noble: Hide,_ it said.

"Hide?" Donna hissed. She glanced around. There was nothing around but the doorways on either end of the hall. She stepped into the nearest one and pressed herself as far back as she could.

She waited. Her heart thumped loudly in her ears as she strained to listen for pursuit. Footsteps.

"…still don't see why they won't let us use the residential facilities. Have you _seen_ the swimming pool?"

"Come off it. We can't have random scientists traipsing through their recreation areas all the time. They'd start to wonder."

"So? Just wipe them again."

"Do you have any idea…"

The voices became muffled again as their owners moved passed Donna's hall. She waited until she couldn't hear their footsteps anymore, then poked her head out of the doorway. No one.

 _Donna Noble,_ the marquis said, with an arrow pointing her back the way she'd come. Donna frowned, wondering if that could be right, then shrugged internally and retraced her steps. Back in the previous hallway, another marquis pointed her to the right, away from her cell and toward whoever had just walked by. Warily, Donna followed. Two intersections down another marquis changed as she reached it.

 _Wait._

Donna stopped. A few seconds passed.

 _Go._

Donna continued down the hall. At the next intersection, the marquis sent her to the right, then about halfway down that hall a new marquis directed her to a doorway on her left. The door slid open at Donna's approach, then closed as she stepped inside. Donna found herself in a small office. There was a desk here facing the door and a potted plant of the same sort found in the residential area occupying one corner. Donna frowned. Why had the signs led her in here? Was she hiding again?

Donna wandered around to the other side of the desk. Now she could see a screen embedded in the surface of the desk. There was a flashing window on the screen. Curious, Donna leaned closer. It was a chat program of some description. There was only one line of chat in the window.

 _Hello, Donna! How are we holding up?_

Donna's heart skipped a few beats. Could it be? She reached for the keyboard.

 _Who is this?_ Donna typed, hands shaking from excitement. There was a brief pause that seemed to last an eternity.

 _The Doctor_

A huge grin broke out across Donna's face. Finally! _Wait,_ Donna warned herself. _Best to make sure._ She typed a quick message.

 _Prove it._

Her cursor blinked twice.

 _What?_

 _Prove to me that you're the Doctor_

There was another pause. Then a new line of text appeared.

 _The first time I met you you'd accidentally teleported into my Tardis in a wedding dress. You were convinced that I'd kidnapped you, and also that I was from Mars._

Donna's grin returned. It was him! There was no way those Stovians would have gotten that in a rumor.

 _THANK. HEAVENS._ Donna typed emphatically. _Where have you been? / I've been stuck on this stupid space station with no idea what's going on / except that everyone's lying about it / and then I found the Tardis and you weren't there / and I thought something awful must have happened to you / and now I'm under arrest or whatever / and I STILL don't know what's going on!_

By the time she finished Donna was typing so fast that the keyboard really ought to have spontaneously combusted.

 _I'm sorry, Donna. I've been trying to contact you since you woke up, but it's taken me a while to get the knack for using the system._

Donna frowned.

 _What's that supposed to mean?_

For a few moments, nothing changed on the screen except for the steady blinking of her own cursor. Then a reply appeared.

 _I've sort of hacked the station's central computer. That's how I've been controlling the signs and the doors._ _B_ _ut the interface is a bit dodgy._

 _So you're still on the colony?_

 _It's not a colony._

 _What is it then?_

 _It's a research facility._

Donna looked up sharply as she heard footsteps in the hall. In a moment they passed and Donna let out her breath. There was already a new message on the screen when she looked back.

 _It's alright; this isn't his office._

Donna blinked.

 _Wait,_ she typed, _can you see me?_

 _Of course. I've got access to the security cameras. See?_ Donna heard a soft whirring noise from the ceiling behind her. Looking up she now spotted a tiny camera that was spinning in circles. Once she spotted it it stopped spinning and remained trained on her. She smiled at it before turning back to the screen.

 _Lanassa Colony is actually a giant laboratory for biomedical research on the plague affecting the planet below us,_ the Doctor was explaining. _You know your friends on the other side of the station?_

 _Yeah?_

 _They've all got a rare genetic immunity to the plague. Joanna and the others are studying them to figure out how it works and if they can use it to produce immunity in others._

 _Why don't the colonists know anything about this?_

 _As I said, it's a rare immunity – probably only a few thousand individuals on the planet have it, and most of them haven't been identified._

 _So?_

 _So if you want a large enough sample size to study, you don't exactly have the luxury of taking volunteers._

Donna felt a chill. So that was what "acquired" meant.

 _They kidnapped them._ She typed.

 _Precisely._

 _But they don't seem to remember being kidnapped._

 _Yes,_ the Doctor replied. _They've had their memories edited so they believe they moved here of their own volition, seeking safety from the plague._

 _I see,_ Donna replied. _I assume we're doing something about it?_

 _Oh yes! Come on. We need to get you moving. They haven't noticed you're missing yet, but they will before long. See the pager on the desk next to you?_

Donna looked and sure enough there was a small electronic device sitting on the desk.

 _Yes_

 _Take it with you so we can stay in contact._

 _Can't we just meet up somewhere?_

 _Not yet. There's a lot of things we need to do and it will go smoother if I stay here where I can work the doors for you._

 _Alright then. Where do I go?_

 _Give it a minute. There's another group of researchers in your way right now. I'll tell you when it's safe._

Donna sat and waited. Nothing changed on the screen except the cursor blinking steadily on and off. She picked up the pager next to her and found that it had a wrist band. It was made to be strapped on like a watch. She put it on and adjusted the straps, keeping an eye on the screen in front of her as she worked. Suddenly, the screen lit up on her pager and she felt it vibrate slightly against her wrist. She glanced down.

 _All clear. Head out the door and to your left._

Donna went to the door and as before it slid open before her. She looked out into the hall, checking both directions, but as the Doctor had promised the coast was clear. She headed left, keeping an eye on the marquises for more directions from the Doctor. She glanced down at her pager.

 _Where am I going, anyway?_ She typed.

For a long time, there was no response. The marquises sent her down the hall, then around the corner to a lift. Donna reached the door and for a moment nothing happened. She glanced about in confusion, wondering if she'd missed something when the door finally slid open. She stepped inside.

 _Head to level 2,_ said the marquis inside. Donna pressed the button and the lift started downward. Finally, Donna felt the pager vibrate on her wrist.

 _It's hard to talk while you're moving. I'm trying to do a lot of things at once and it takes most of my concentration._

 _You? Too busy to talk?_ Donna wrote back. _You're an_ _impostor_ _after all!_

 _Oi!_

The lift jerked to a stop so suddenly that Donna was nearly thrown off her feet. The emergency lighting flashed on and then immediately back off. Donna had just enough time to regain her balance and shake of her shock before she felt the pager vibrate again.

 _Oops – sorry!_

The lift resumed its previous downward course.

 _You're not fooling me, spaceman. You did that on purpose._

 _I didn't,_ _h_ _onest! You distracted me._

 _Uh huh._

The lift stopped moving – gently this time – and the marquis flashed a message that they had reached level two. The doors remained shut. Donna waited a moment but nothing happened. She was at the point of sending the Doctor a message when she heard a voice in the hall.

"Out of order, I guess."

"Come on," said a second voice. "Let's take the one over by Screening."

Another minute passed. The lift door finally opened. A marquis directed Donna to the left.

Donna walked to the end of the hall and found herself faced with a large doorway with the word "Memory" scrolling by on the marquis over it. She suspected that this marquis had not been modified by the Doctor. Entering through the door, Donna found herself in what looked to be an operating room. Most of the room was white, with a sterile feel to it, and there was a big table in the middle of the room. Actually, it was more like a big, white, rectangular block someone had plopped down in the middle of the room and then made a roughly person shaped indent in the top of. The cup that the head was meant to rest in was ringed with lights.

 _Doctor, what am I doing here?_ Donna wrote.

 _First step is alerting the colonists to the fact that something is wrong. Best way to do that is to give them their memories back._

 _And how does this room help us with that?_ Donna asked.

 _See that big thing in the middle of the room?_ The Doctor asked.

 _Yeah?_

 _It's a mind wiper. A technological means of editing memory. You can delete inconvenient ones, add more convenient ones – well, not_ delete _really, you can never really delete a memory, but you can suppress it._

Something tickled the back of Donna's mind, an idea trying to form itself. It coalesced.

 _Doctor, I can't remember anything between the time we landed here and waking up in the hospital. Did they use this on_ me _?_

A momentary pause.

 _Yes. I managed to interrupt the process, but not quite soon enough._

Donna shivered, imagining herself lying on this big metal block, unconscious, lights flashing around her head.

 _But you can reverse it?_

 _Well, no,_ I _can't, but that's what I've got you for._

 _Me? I don't know anything about this thing!_

 _Calm down, I'll walk you through it. All we need to do is reverse a few of the circuits, boost the signal, and feed it through the bioscanners in the rest of the station._

 _Oh, is that all?_

 _Look for an access panel underneath the headboard._

Grumbling, Donna walked around the table and crouched down by the head. Sure enough, she could see a rectangular plate on the side, held on by screws.

 _Found it,_ Donna wrote.

 _Open it up._

 _I can't._

 _What?_

 _It's screwed on, and not all of us carry a screwdriver everywhere._

 _Alright, open that cabinet behind you and look for something / Uh / Screwy._

Donna sighed with exasperation. She found the cabinet the Doctor was talking about and opened it up. She expected medical supplies, but it turned out to be full of tools. _I guess that makes sense,_ she thought. _Someone needs to service this thing._ She rooted around a bit and found a screwdriver of the non-sonic variety. She set to work and in another minute had the panel off, revealing a mess of wiring beyond.

 _Alright, now what?_

 _You need to find the wire going from the left occipital lead to the mnemonic converter, disconnect it, and then reconnect it out of phase._

Donna blinked at the pager.

 _Ah,_ the Doctor said, _alright so there's this glowy bit in the headrest_

 _Remind me why I'm the one doing this? Why don't you get down here and I'll go press the buttons and open doors for you._

 _It's not that simple._

 _Well it can't be more complicated than this!_

 _Actually, it can._

Donna started to type a rebuttal but the Doctor cut her off.

 _Donna, we don't have time to argue about this. Security just noticed you're missing and they're going to be looking for you._ Donna felt a flutter in her stomach. _We can't switch places now, so you're just going to have to focus. You can do this._

 _Doctor, I don't know if I can!_

 _I do. Now, there's a security camera above the door. See if you can take it down and move it so I can see where you're working._

Donna glanced up and after a moment spotted the tiny camera over the center of the door. She needed something she could stand on. There was a stool next to the counter. Setting her jaw, Donna stood up and dragged the stool over to the door, hopped up on it and examined the camera. She found that she was able to unscrew it from its mounting and pull it free. It was apparently wireless. She brought it back over to the table and pointed it at the space behind the access panel. She felt her wrist buzz.

 _Perfect. Now, put your hand into the space._

Donna complied.

 _Good. Move it to your right._

Donna did so.

 _Stop! No, back to the left a bit. There! Ok, you're going to need to move slower. Back to the right._

Donna slowly moved her hand back to the right until her wrist buzzed.

 _There! Perfect. Now, see that red wire just above your hand?_

Donna placed a finger on the wire.

 _Yes, that one. Disconnect it. Just pull._

Donna pulled on the wire and a tiny metal tip came free of its socket.

 _Good. Now feel back into the mechanism. There should be another socket like that. Put the wire there._

It took several frustrating minutes of fumbling about inside the machine before Donna was able to find the hole and successfully connect the wire.

 _There you go! You're doing fine Donna._

"Oh leave off will you?" Donna grumbled irritably. "I wish you were here so I could smack you properly for this."

 _Oi! Is that any way to thank me?_

"Oh, so you can hear me, too?" Donna said.

 _Well, you are right next to the camera._

"Good," Donna said grunting. "I was worried I wouldn't be able to complain properly without a hand free to type."

 _Alright, you've just got the one circuit left to reverse._

The Doctor walked her through reversing the second circuit through the same, agonizingly slow, puppet process. Then he had her root through the cabinet again for more wire and run that over to an access panel in the wall of all things and do a little more rewiring. Donna hadn't the faintest idea what she was accomplishing but the Doctor seemed satisfied.

"So, how do we start it?" Donna asked. It didn't even register anymore that it should feel odd to be talking to a watch.

 _It's already running._

"But I don't remember anything I didn't before."

 _Are you sure about that? It won't all come back at once, it'll be bits and pieces. Could take a day or more to get it all back._

Donna frowned. She was starting to get that feeling – that feeling when you know you were thinking about something important but can't quite remember what anymore. Something about a hallway? Yes, that's right. She was standing in a hallway, probably one of the halls in this lower section of Lanassa Colony Hospital. The Doctor was with her. And a lot of men with guns?


	7. Chapter 7

_Sudden, blinding pain in her chest. She was lying on the ground now. How had that happened? She didn't remember falling._

" _Hold your fire!" An irate female voice snapped. Joanna? "Idiot, I told you not to shoot."_

 _The Doctor was kneeling next to Donna now. He looked worried, though he tried to hide it._

" _Everything's going to be fine, Donna," he said calmly. He had that focused look in his eyes. Donna just tried to keep breathing, which had suddenly become very hard to do. She heard something tearing, and then the pain spiked as the Doctor pressed something against her chest. Her breath rushed out in a cry of pain. "I know," the Doctor said soothingly. "That didn't feel very nice." His eyes left hers to look at her wound and his voice took on a firm, authoritative tone. "We need to get this bullet out and stop the bleeding. Is your hospital operational?"_

" _No." Joanna's voice again. Donna turned her head and saw the woman's feet, distinctive in their high heeled shoes with the hem of white lab coat a foot or so above. "But we can get it running in time to help her. That is, if you cooperate, Doctor."_

 _The Doctor looked over his shoulder toward the woman. Then he turned to look back down at Donna. She could see the conflict in his eyes. She tightened her grip on his hand, as if holding him back._

" _No," she mouthed. "No." Don't do it_. Do what? Donna couldn't remember.

 _She saw the Doctor's jaw clench._

" _Fine," he told Joanna. He stood up, giving Donna's hand a comforting squeeze as he did. Donna's weakened hand was powerless to stop him. He turned away. "I'll do it."_

" _Jared, Davis," Joanna said quickly. "Take him to Nancy. Gavin and Holly, we need a stretcher."_

 _Joanna pushed up her sleeves and went to Donna's side. One man and a woman took off down the hall. Another two of the men took up position on either side of the Doctor. As they led him away, he spared one last backward glance at Donna._

Donna blinked. The pager was buzzing against her wrist.

 _Donna? Are you quite alright?_

 _I was remembering something,_ Donna typed.

 _Ah, good._

 _I remember being shot now. You agreed to do something in exchange for Joanna saving me. I can't remember what it was, though. I just remember that I didn't want you to do it. I was terrified for you._

There was no response from the Doctor.

 _Doctor, what was it? What did they make you do?_

 _It doesn't matter right now. We need to get you back to the residential sector. If you're starting to remember things then so are the colonists, and they'll need someone to explain matters to them. You need to get them organized and get them moving off the colony._

 _Doctor, are you ok?_

 _I'm fine, Donna. You don't need to worry about me._

 _Are you? Really?_

For a moment, there was no reply.

 _I'm not hurt and I'm not in any immediate danger,_ he said at last. _Yes, I am in a spot of trouble and yes, I am going to need your help before this is all over, but that has to wait for now. We need to take care of the colonists first. Fair?_

Donna let out a breath.

 _You had better not be lying to me,_ she typed.

 _It's the truth, Donna. I swear. I'll be ok._

 _Alright then. What's next?_

 _B_ _ack to the lift, quick as you can. I'm going to try to seal most of the staff in the hospital sector so they won't be able to stop the evacuation. You need to get back to the other side of the station before I can do that._

Donna pushed her worries about the Doctor to the back of her mind and dashed back to the lift. It opened immediately to admit her this time and began moving as soon as the doors were closed. Donna hadn't even pushed a button. The pager buzzed.

 _Now that they're looking for you the biolocks will be guarded. I'm sending you to the top level where you'll be able to access the ventilation system and get through that way._

Donna groaned.

"Because that was _so_ much fun the first time." Sudden realization dawned on her. "Hang on a minute, that was _you,_ wasn't it? You made that lift break down so I'd find the Tardis!"

 _Yes,_ the Doctor admitted. _That was me. And the computer in your room. Like I said, I've been trying to contact you since you woke up. It's just taking a while for me to learn the system._

"But you're still making me crawl through vents for you," Donna said sourly.

 _Cheer up, it'll be better this time._

"Oh? Why's that?"

 _I've figured out how to change the color of the lights!_

The lift came to a stop and a line of arrows running up the wall lit up. Sure enough, instead of glowing orange the arrows were now bright blue. Tardis blue, unless Donna missed her guess.

"Yes. I can already see how much more pleasant this is going to be."

The arrows switched to green, then yellow, bright red, purple, lime green. Then the arrows began individually cycling through the colors out of sync with each other so that it looked as if a psychotic rainbow was chasing itself up the wall.

"Stop it!" Donna said, climbing up toward the exit hatch in the ceiling. "You're making me sick."

The arrows stopped their frolicking and resumed a steady Tardis blue. Donna pulled herself up into the space above the elevator.

"I thought you had too many things to concentrate on while I was moving. Now you've got time to spend playing with the lights?"

 _I was masking you from the security cameras before – looping a couple seconds of footage while you passed by to make you invisible. Took very careful timing. There aren't any cameras up here so there's not as much for me to do. I also won't be able to hear you anymore once you get much farther from the lift._

"Great," Donna said, squeezing into the crawl space. "I don't know if I can type in here."

The tunnels here were just as cramped as Donna remembered from the other side of the colony. The blue arrows did provide a little more light than the orange ones had, but Donna still did not see it as a vast improvement. And this time, Donna had to go around a turn. In the already cramped tunnel, a ninety degree bend was incredibly hard to negotiate. She finally managed it by turning onto her side and just bending around the turn at the waist before continuing on. She'd only just cleared the bend when a metallic grating and emphatic thud made her jump and bang her head against the ceiling. Craning her neck back she could see a metal plate now blocked the end of the tunnel she'd just entered. Heart beating faster, she reached for the pager on her wrist.

 _Doctor, what's going on? Some kind of door just closed behind me!_

 _I'm sealing the vents behind you so no one else will be able to take this route if they think of it._

 _Well, be more careful, would you? You almost took my feet off with that thing!_

 _I did not, you had plenty of room._

 _How do you know? I thought there weren't any security cameras up here!_

 _There aren't, but that's not the only way I see. This station is covered in bioscanners._

 _Which are?_

 _Physiological monitoring device. They can track just about any aspect of your biology. It's part of how they've been collecting data on the immunity._

 _And they have them in the vents?_

 _In the hall below you, but I can still pick up enough of your heat signature to know where your feet are in relation to my doors. And those feet haven't been moving enough during this conversation. We are in a hurry, remember?_

"Next time, you try crawling through these tunnels," Donna muttered under her breath. But she started moving again. The next time a door closed behind her she barely flinched.

Two more turns brought her to a tunnel with light at the end of it. She made her way forward eagerly, longing to have done with these ventilation shafts. The end of the tunnel was blocked by a grating. Donna waited a moment, expecting it to open for her. Nothing happened. She maneuvered the pager back to where she could see it.

 _Well?_ She typed.

 _I can't open that,_ the Doctor replied. _It's not a door. All I can do is this._

The slats of the vent suddenly pulled shut, then opened again, then repeated the cycle.

 _Fat lot of good you are,_ Donna typed.

The lights on the floor began changing colors in response. Donna pushed against the grate experimentally and felt no give. She could try hitting it with her fist, but she suspected this would only bruise her fists. Maybe if she could kick it, but there was no way she was turning around in this tunnel. She felt her wrist buzz.

 _Hold on, I've got it. Back up a bit._

Obediently, Donna crawled backward. The slats closed themselves. For a moment, nothing happened. Then she noticed a low, buzzing sound was building, a sound like the buzzing of a transformer on a power line. There was a pair of tremendous pops. Donna saw a brilliant blue spark and smelled smoke. Her wrist buzzed.

 _Try it now._

Donna crawled back toward the grate and pushed against it. This time it gave, one of the corners having been blown free of its moorings, and with a little more effort Donna was able to make an opening large enough to squeeze through. She dropped to the floor and found herself on the inside of the biolock.

"Decontamination commencing," the marquis said. Bright light filled the room.

 _Can't you make it skip this bit?_ Donna asked.

 _I could,_ the Doctor responded. _But not everyone over there is immune to the plague. I'm not going to risk infecting a bunch of innocent janitors just because we're in a hurry._

 _But I haven't even been to the plague side!_

 _I am_ not _compromising the biosecurity of this facility,_ _Donna_ _. I've seen what this plague does to them._

"Cycling atmosphere."

Donna didn't argue further. In another moment the door opened to the now familiar sight of the Lanassa Colony atrium. Actually, Donna found that the sight was _very_ familiar.

" _Here we are!" the Doctor said. Hands in his pockets, he'd turned to walk backward through the archway and was now looking at the wall above it. Donna looked too and saw that the words "Welcome to Lanassa Colony" had been painted there in a stylish script._

" _Lanassa Colony?" Donna read questioningly. The Doctor just shrugged._

" _Never heard of it." Then he broke into a broad grin._

" _Well, if you ask me, it's not much of a colony. Where are all the people?"_

" _Maybe they left. We should check the escape pods. No," the Doctor suddenly stopped, staring off into space, thinking quickly. "Maybe they're not here yet."_

Donna couldn't pause to dwell on the memory, but strode through the arch into the residential sector instead. Her wrist buzzed.

 _Your friends are in the cafeteria right now. I can't hear what they're talking about, but they look agitated._

Donna altered her course toward the cafeteria. The halls in the residential sector were oddly empty. Upon reaching the cafeteria, it became clear why. Although it was not yet dinner time, the cafeteria was filled nearly to the brim with colonists. They sat at the tables, clustered in groups of friends, all bearing looks of confusion and fear as they spoke frantically amongst themselves and sometimes with those at neighboring tables. The din of conversation in the room was deafening.

Scanning the chaos, it was several moments before Donna was able to spot Cheryl over at a table with Roger and the others, plus a number of colonists that Donna didn't know. She shouldered her way through the crowd toward them. Cheryl saw her coming and stood up from the table with a cry, rushing over to meet her. The rest of the table turned to look.

"Donna!" Cheryl said, when she was close enough to be heard. She grabbed Donna in a quick hug. "Oh, Donna, you were right! Something is terribly, terribly wrong! I have a husband that I'd completely forgotten about! And it's not just me! Everyone's got friends and family, and we've no idea why we left them behind or if they even know where we are!"

Cheryl led Donna the rest of the way back to the table as she spoke.

"Everyone, this is Donna. She's the one who was saying something funny was up this morning. Donna, did you ever figure out anything more about it? I can't believe I didn't listen to you!"

"It's alright everyone," Donna told the anxious faces watching her. She looked into their eyes and felt her resolve strengthen. "I know what's going on. You've all been kidnapped and had your memories altered."

"Kidnapped?" Cheryl squeaked. "But why?"

"You're all immune to the plague down on the planet. Joanna and the others brought you here to study you in the hopes of finding a cure."

"A cure?" Someone said incredulously.

"Immune?" Someone else gasped.

"Well now why didn't they just ask us?" Cheryl said crossly. "Honestly! And Joanna seemed like such a nice girl."

"Oi!" called someone from a neighboring table. "What did she tell you? Does she know something?"

Donna looked around and saw that people at the neighboring tables were starting to look her way. People were nudging each other and pointing in a wave that was spreading out all across the cafeteria.

"Excuse me," Donna said. Then she climbed passed Cheryl, stepped onto the woman's vacated chair, and climbed atop the table. "Oi!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, cupping her hands over her mouth. "Listen up everyone!"

The room quieted as more heads turned her way, but a few knots of conversation still clung around the edges.

"I said listen up!" Donna shouted again. "You want answers, or you wanna keep talking in circles?"

Finally the last holdouts cut off their discussions and turned to look at her.

"That's better. Now here's how it is. This is a research facility looking for a cure to the plague. You all have a rare genetic immunity to the plague, so the staff here have kidnapped you and altered your memories so they can use you as lab rats. My friend and I are here to help you get back to your friends and families."

"How are we getting off the colony?" someone asked. "We don't have ships."

Donna paused. How were they getting off? She supposed they would all fit in the Tardis, but she wasn't sure what the Doctor would think of her inviting a hundred odd strangers into his home without asking. Suddenly, she remembered her memory in the atrium.

"We have escape pods, don't we?" Donna said.

Someone in the crowd nodded.

"I think they're programmed to land us somewhere down on the planet."

"They'll have people waiting for us there!" Someone else objected. "They'll never just let us go!"

"Listen to yourselves!" Donna shouted. "You haven't even tried anything yet and you're already giving up! Do you want to get home or not?"

There was silence in the cafeteria, and heads were nodded all around. Donna's wrist buzzed and she looked down at her watch.

 _They'll let them go if they don't have any reason to keep them anymore. And they won't have any reason to keep them if this facility is destroyed. That's the next step after the colonists are safely away._

"Alright," Donna said, voice firm and confident. "I need you all to get yourselves to the escape pods in a calm and orderly fashion."

Donna paused and looked down at Cheryl.

"Is there some sort of evacuation protocol they told you about in case you needed to do something like this?"

Cheryl nodded.

"We've all got our assigned lifeboats and we know the routes to get there."

"That makes things simpler, then." Donna raised her voice again to address the whole group. "You can follow the evacuation procedures they gave you. Once you're all safely away, we're going to destroy this station. They won't have any use for you anymore, and you'll be free. Alright?"

There was a chorus of assent, hesitant, but willing to give it a try.

"Get moving then!" Donna called. She stepped down off the table and the buzz of conversation resumed as people filed out of the cafeteria, heading to their rooms to gather up their few possessions. "Cheryl!" Donna said, catching the woman before she could leave. Roger and some of the others hung back as well. "Was everyone on the colony in here?"

"Oh, I don't know," Cheryl said, laughing nervously. "It isn't as if we were taking attendance!"

"Could I ask a few of you to help me check all the suites and make sure everyone's gotten the message? I don't want to risk anyone still being here when, well, you know."

"Certainly, certainly!" Cheryl said, nodding eagerly. Roger, Andy and Meghan all nodded as well.

"Alright, I guess we'll each take a floor then, and two of us can take the bottom floor."

The floors were quickly claimed, and the group moved out.

"I guess you have to do it," Cheryl said. There was a touch of regret in her voice.

"Do what?" Donna asked.

"Destroy the place."

"Of course," Donna said. "I'm not going to let them come after you again."

Cheryl nodded.

"What?" Donna said, confused by the sadness in the woman's demeanor. "Don't you want to get back to your husband?"

"I do, I do," Cheryl said. "No, I have to go. It's just that… if they could really cure the plague…"

Donna put a comforting hand on Cheryl's shoulder.

"Someone will," Donna told her. "And they'll do it right. Not like this."

Cheryl smiled and squeezed Donna's arm.

"I hope you're right, dear."

Then she followed the others out of the cafeteria.


	8. Chapter 8

After another moment watching the cafeteria empty, Donna, too set out to start checking her assigned floor of the colony. As she walked out into the hall, she felt her wrist buzz.

 _Good work, Donna!_ She smiled. _Most of the colonists were in that cafeteria. There's a few up by the pool you'll still need to talk to and a few in their rooms. Hang, on I'll give you a list of the suite numbers._

Donna mentally kicked herself as the list of rooms streamed in. Of course the Doctor would know if there were any colonists somewhere else. She should have thought of that before sending the others off. She changed course to head for the pool.

 _I've got some of the colonists going door to door to make sure everyone's got the message. I should have thought to ask you if anyone was missing._ Donna sent back. She was nearly to the pool when her wrist buzzed again.

 _I see them,_ the Doctor said. _I'll let them know where they need to go._

Donna found the colonists in the pool area and repeated her instructions and encouragements there, smiling to see the colonists head out with determination in their step. Then she checked the list of rooms the Doctor had given her. There were only three in her section of the colony. She quickly made the rounds and had those colonists packing their things as well. Her wrist buzzed.

 _Your friends didn't believe me,_ the Doctor said. Donna could imagine the indignant tone in his voice.

 _Maybe it's for the best,_ Donna said. _Joanna and her lot could start sending them messages too, after all._

 _Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. Still, it shouldn't slow us down any. You should get to the escape pods though. Some of the staff on your side of the colony are gathering there – could be trouble._

Donna's heart skipped a beat.

 _How many? Are they armed?_

 _Only a handful, and no. I've still got all of security trapped over here. You've just got some of the cooks and cleaning staff to deal with._

"Over here" Donna noted. The Doctor was on the hospital side of the colony.

 _So where're the escape pods?_

 _Bottom deck._

Donna stepped into the lift. The doors closed and nothing happened for a moment before Donna realized that there was no reason she shouldn't just push the button herself. Apparently the Doctor was too busy to continue as her personal door and lift operator. Ah well.

She reached the bottom deck and stepped out into the hall. To her left she could see a group of colonists, laden with bags, standing in an uncertain cluster. She strode purposefully toward them.

"What's going on here?" She demanded, breaking through the crowd. She could see that the hall here was lined with doors, marquises overhead proclaiming "Escape Pods 1-25" "Escape Pods 26-50" and so on. There was a cluster of men and women in Lanassa Colony uniforms standing between the colonists and the escape pods, doing their best to appear intimidating.

"I'm sorry," said one of the women politely. "It is against colony policy to launch the escape pods except in the case of a genuine emergency. Everything is fine here. You can all go back to your rooms." She did not sound very sure of herself. Donna snorted.

"You can drop the act now," Donna said. "We know what's really going on here, and we're leaving."

The colonists behind her murmured in assent.

"I've called security," one of the men next to the first woman said. "If you do not disperse immediately they will be here shortly. Please, go back to your rooms. There's no need for anyone to get hurt."

"Well, it's just too bad then that the biolock's shut down right now. Security can't get here. You think you can stop this many people on your own?" Donna raised an eyebrow at them. A few exchanged worried looks while the others glared at them, then seemed to be counting the colonists behind Donna. Donna turned to the colonists.

"Come on," she said. "Let's go." Then she strode forward toward the first doorway. The man who had threatened them with security held out an arm to bar her way. She stopped and looked him straight in the eyes. "There's no need for anyone to get hurt." She told him. She watched him waver for a moment, then he finally stepped out of her way. She smiled and stepped past him to the door, then turned back to the colonists.

"After you," she told them, with a sweeping gesture towards the doors. The colonists began moving then, streaming into the openings in a growing throng. The colony staff stepped out of the way, standing in a cluster at the side of the hall, watching the whole proceeding in bewilderment. Donna heard a clunk, the floor shook just a bit, and she realized that the first escape pod was away. She stepped over to where the staff were standing.

"I assume you have assigned escape pods as well?" She asked them. The woman from earlier nodded. "Best use them. Once the colonists are away, we're blowing the place."

The woman gasped, and Donna was surprised to see a misty film of tears starting in her eyes.

"Why?" she said. "Why are you doing this? We helped you!"

"Helped me?" Donna said incredulously. " _Helped_ me? You _shot_ me, kidnapped me and the Doctor, erased my memories, and abducted all of these innocent people! I'm doing this because you sicken me and they deserve better."

"There are patients on the other side of the colony," one of the men said. "You can't just – "

"Are there escape pods for them over there?"

He nodded reluctantly.

"Then get them moving."

Donna turned on her heel and strode away. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him tap a button on a pager much like hers and raise it to his lips.

"This is Matthew Stone, in the residential sector," she heard him saying. "The residents are evacuating the station…"

The rest of his explanation to whomever he was speaking to trailed away as she walked out of earshot, striding along the long line of colonists gathering in the hall, waiting for their chance to board. More trickled in every moment, and the thumping of escape pods pushing away from the hull beneath her was becoming more and more frequent. Her wrist buzzed.

 _Brilliantly done, Donna._

* * *

"I think this is everyone, dear," Cheryl said, strolling up behind Donna. There were nearly three hundred colonists on Lanassa Colony in total, but with their scant possessions the evacuation had only taken a few hours so far. A group of twenty or so colonists was filtering into the hall with Cheryl and heading to the remaining pods. The remaining staff had made no further attempt to hinder the evacuation, but had so far stubbornly refused to make their own escape from the station.

"Best hurry now," Cheryl said, shooting a sidelong glance at the lurking janitors. Before long the numerical superiority of the colonists would be no more.

"I'm not going," Donna said. "There are still things I need to do here."

"Oh, of course," Cheryl said. "What with the sabotage and all." She nodded absurdly cheerfully for a woman discussing sabotage. "Well then," she set her bag down on the deck beside her and reached up to pull Donna into a tight hug. "You be careful then, alright?"

"Yes, mum," Donna chuckled.

"And tell that Doctor of yours thanks from us when you see him, alright?"

Donna smiled.

"I will."

Cheryl picked up her bag and headed off with a light step. Donna watched, still smiling to herself as the elderly woman disappeared through the doorway to pods 251-300. The last colonists were disappearing through those doors now, and the thunks from below had begun to slow once more. The colonists were safe. Donna's wrist buzzed.

 _Donna, you need to get moving. NOW._

Donna frowned at the urgency in the Doctor's message. She reached down to type a reply, but before she could the pager buzzed again.

 _RUN!_

The sound of approaching footsteps registered in Donna's ears. She looked up. The small pack of colony staff had left the corner where they had been standing bemusedly throughout the evacuation. They were now making their way toward Donna, who now realized that she was the only other person left standing in the hallway. Suddenly understanding her peril, Donna turned and fled back in the direction of the lift. Behind her, the footsteps quickened pace as the colony staff sped up in pursuit, and the hall echoed with the sound of running feet.

Donna dashed around the corner, feeling as though her pursuers were right on her heels, then shrieked at the sound of a loud, metallic clang. Casting a frantic glance over her shoulder, she saw that a large, metal blast door had just slammed into place behind her, blocking her pursuers completely. Donna breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back against the wall to catch her breath.

 _Alright,_ she typed into her watch. _Now what?_

 _Hang onto something,_ came the reply.

Red emergency lighting suddenly filled the hall. With a hiss, panels Donna hadn't even been able to see slid open at points all along the hallway and convenient handholds folded out. Not bothering to question, Donna took hold of the nearest one.

The floor lurched and bucked sideways. Donna screamed as she was nearly thrown from her feet and felt a crushing weight pressing her into the floor, as if the entire colony were a lift speeding up its shaft at a crazy angle. A massive tremor shook the hall and the jolt subsided, but before Donna was allowed even the briefest respite the colony tossed a second time, tilting the floor in a different direction. The hall to the lift had suddenly become a long, downward slope and Donna struggled to keep her hold on the hand rail rather than tumbling down toward the lift. The third jolt tipped the hall back in the other direction, and now Donna finally did lose her grip and rolled down what was thankfully a fairly gentle slope to bump against the heavy metal door that had closed behind her.

Donna struggled to her feet and latched onto a new handhold, preparing to brace herself for the inevitable. But the fourth jolt never came. The floor settled back into its normal orientation and the hallway was still.

"What the bloody heck was that?" Donna shouted to the security cameras she hoped were listening. Her wrist buzzed in response.

 _I just fired the orbital thrusters out of sync at about 900% capacity._

"You just turned me into a human pinball is what you did," Donna snapped back.

 _I did warn you._

"And what exactly was this supposed to accomplish?"

 _The thrusters are destroyed and we're now in a highly unstable orbit. We have two hours, thirty eight minutes, and sixteen seconds until the atmospheric resistance tears the place apart._

Donna's heart thumped.

"Doctor, the patients in the hospital! Will they have time to get out?"

 _Plenty, and the evacuation should distract them enough to make your last job a bit easier._

"And that is?"

 _Saving me, of course._

At the end of the hall, the doors to the lift slid open invitingly.

 _Come find me._

Donna smiled. "I thought you'd never ask."


	9. Chapter 9

As before, the marquises guided Donna through the now eerily empty halls of Lanassa Colony. In minutes she had made her way through the abandoned half of the station and back to the biolock atrium. The door slid open before her. Her wrist buzzed.

 _You might want to pull one of those sofas into the lock,_ the Doctor advised. _You'll need to get up to that vent again._

Donna groaned.

"I thought you said they'd be distracted!"

 _They're not_ that _distracted._

"But they are getting the patients out?"

 _Joanna is still hoping to save the station, but she's ordered the evacuation as a precautionary measure. They'll get everyone out in time._

Placated, Donna picked the smallest and lightest of the sofas and set to work dragging it into the biolock. It was still fairly heavy, but fortunately it slid fairly easily on the colony's tiled floors. She had to tip it on end to get it through the doorway, but once it was inside the lock and Donna could see the vent again she had to admit that there was no way she would have been able to reach it without something to climb on. Shoving the sofa into place, she stepped up onto the seat, then to the back, then squeezed her way around the lose grating and back into the vent. Blue arrows lit up on the floor to guide her way.

"So, I take it they didn't think to try the tunnels, then?" Donna said.

There was no answer.

 _Right,_ Donna thought. _No security cameras up here._ She didn't think the question was important enough to take the time to type while she was supposed to be crawling.

For a time the arrows had her retrace the path she had followed previously. When she reached the first of the gates the Doctor had sealed behind her it slid open to let her pass, then closed back up as soon as she was through. Donna felt her nerves begin to rise again. There was the undeniable sense that she was infiltrating enemy territory.

Eventually her path branched off from the old route, and after a few more endless minutes of crawling Donna reached a grating in the floor of the tunnel where the arrows stopped. Reaching out with her hand, she carefully tested it. It was held in place far more loosely than the one back in the biolock and swung open easily with a firm push. Donna poked her head through and scanned the hall, then pulled her head back up, got her feet into the opening and dropped down. She glanced around again and found a marquis pointing her up the hall.

Donna followed the marquises down two more hallways before she heard footsteps in the hall and was instructed to duck into a nearby doorway, which turned out to be a linen closet. Pressed between the stacks of linen sheets and the door, Donna began to feel very warm. The footsteps grew louder and Donna could tell that it was a sizable group passing by.

"…can't believe that he'd just let us through now."

"They'd almost finished burning through anyway. Probably decided it wasn't worth the effort."

"Yeah, because there's no one over there anymore."

"He's still got his girl running around…"

The argument was lost as the group passed by.

 _You opened the biolock?_ Donna typed.

 _Yes,_ the Doctor replied. _The more of them that head over there now, the fewer you'll have to deal with here._

Donna heard a creak, and the roof seemed to shudder a bit.

 _What was that?_ She typed.

 _The outer plating on the station's hull is starting to break up a little. That was probably a panel coming free._

 _How much time do we have?_

 _Two hours, eleven minutes, twenty three seconds. Get moving, it's safe._

Donna stepped back into the hall, welcoming the breath of fresh air – well, as fresh as recycled space station air could be, she supposed. The marquises led her on, and she soon reached a lift. She stepped inside and the lift started moving down. Her wrist buzzed.

 _Things are going to get tricky now,_ the Doctor warned.

"Oh, lovely," Donna said. "It's been such a breeze so far."

 _Joanna has had her people destroying the security cameras and even some of the bioscanners on the lower level of the station, trying to blind me._

"She knows what you're doing, then?"

 _Oh, yes. It didn't take them long to figure it out once the biolock wouldn't let them through. They've been trying to reach me for the past four hours, but I've been making things rather difficult for them._

The lift stopped and Donna stepped out cautiously. The marquis in the hall instructed her to wait. A moment later the lift door opened again, this time revealing an empty shaft. Blue arrows on the wall pointed to a ladder built into the side of the shaft.

"What."

 _I haven't been letting any of the lifts down to the bottom floor for hours now. If one comes down now they're bound to figure out it's you. It's better if you climb down._

Donna sighed.

 _Now, there are going to be people at the bottom of this shaft. I can't help that. But they won't be expecting you, so you'll have a couple seconds of surprise to work with. There will be a hall leading straight on from the shaft, one to the left, and one to the right. Run to whichever one looks safest. I'll give you ten seconds before I seal the doors._

"You had better not slam one of them _on_ me."

 _Really, Donna, doors have had sensors for these things since the twentieth century. If you're in the way it won't close on you. You'll just get caught by security, so you'd better not let that happen._

Grumbling, Donna clambered onto the ladder and began to make her way down the shaft. She could see only darkness in the shaft below her. The Doctor had not turned on any more arrows for her, doubtless to avoid alerting whoever might be waiting below. But without any light to see by, she couldn't tell how far down the bottom level might be.

It turned out that the Doctor had kicked her out of the lift about three levels up from the bottom. After passing two closed doors in the side of the shaft, Donna could begin to see a faint light below her, and as she approached, she could tell it was coming from an open door in the shaft. When she was just a few feet above the opening, she could tell that the door had been wedged open with some sort of metal pole. There were also voices at the base of the shaft.

"How long does it take to cut through a door?" A bored voice demanded lazily.

"Shh!" Hissed an angry reply. "If we missed any cameras in the area, you'll tell him exactly where we're working!"

A derisive snort.

"Who cares? Joanna says E7 is much closer than we are. If anyone is getting through, it's them."

Donna held her breath, clinging to the ladder with one hand, and slowly typing out a message with the other.

 _It sounds like they're trying to cut through a door here,_ Donna said. _And they say that E7 is close to breaking through._

 _Thank you, Donna. Get ready to run when you hear yelling, it'll be your best chance._

Donna climbed as low on the ladder as she dared, her feet now just above the opening. She scrutinized the floor below her. It looked fairly flat. She should be able to drop from this height. Suddenly, she heard an electric hum and a series of loud pops. The voices at the end of the hall yelled and cursed. Donna dropped off the ladder and hit the floor in a crouch.

There were two men on either side of the door, still shielding their eyes from a bright light down the hall. Straight ahead from the lift, Donna could see a series of those large, metal doors, each with a man sized hole cut out of the middle, the edges appearing burned and twisted. But the last door in line, though already scored by whatever torch had been used to cut the others, was now coursing with electric blue light, and sparks arched out from the surface again and again to strike any object that came too close. A small group of workers was already scurrying back from the electrified door in alarm.

Not wasting another moment, Donna leapt through the opening and spun left, relieved to see that the hall there was empty and safe. The men guarding the lift cried out again in surprise and Donna bolted for the hall, trying to claim the small lead she would need for the Doctor to cut off her pursuit. How much of her ten seconds was left? She had no idea.

Blessedly, there was a pause of just a second or two before Donna heard the pounding of running feet behind her. She had her lead, if she could only keep it. Pushing her legs as hard as she could, she sped down the hall at speeds she probably hadn't attempted since childhood.

She was already several yards down the hall when she heard the metallic slam, just a few feet behind her. It was immediately followed by a pair of much fleshier thumps and a renewed bought of cursing. Donna cast a glance over her shoulder and found the hallway clear behind her. Her wrist buzzed.

 _Tell me you made it._

Donna stopped, panting.

 _I made it. I went left._

Instantly a marquis up the hall lit up with an arrow pointing the way.

 _Keep moving. They've got people all over this area and I've only the faintest notion of where. I'm sending you to the nearest door in the perimeter that I think is clear. I'll only be able to open it up for a few seconds. Run._

Donna ran, eyes up, constantly scanning for the next marquis. Right. Straight. Straight. Left. Right. She flew around corners, heedless of who might be watching. For a time, the halls were blessedly clear. Then she heard footsteps in a side hall as she sped past it. The sound of her running feet on the floor suddenly seemed tremendous to her ears. What would they think when they heard it?

Raised voices. An avalanche of running feet rose up behind her in answer to her own. Distant, but gaining. Donna pushed herself harder, gasping for breath, feeling the ragged air tearing at her burning throat. Straight. Straight. The avalanche was gaining on her. She could make out words in the shouts now. Some calling for her to stop, some urging the others onward, one making a hasty report into his pager. Left.

Donna spun around the corner and nearly pulled up short. At the other end of the hall, a surprised group of security personnel did a double take at the sight of her spinning around the corner. She spotted the marquis on the ceiling. Right.

Pushing herself back to her top speed, she closed the distance to the turn ahead of the new group and spun around the corner, just as her original pursuers were entering the hall. Ahead of her, Donna saw a closed door, its surface already scarred from a failed attempt to burn through that seemed to have been abandoned. She ran for it, not slowing…

And slammed into the unyielding metal at top speed. Dazed, she looked over her shoulder to see her pursuers rapidly closing the remaining distance.

"Doctor!" She yelled, frantic.

The door slid open and she tumbled into the hall beyond. It slammed shut behind her. Donna lay on the floor, panting. Her wrist buzzed.

 _You're safe now. You and I are the only ones in here._

Donna made no reply. The pager buzzed again.

 _You were faster than I expected._ _Good running._

 _Thanks I guess,_ Donna typed.

 _I can hear you again now, you know; my eyes are intact here._

 _Well that's just brilliant then,_ Donna typed, breathing heavily. _When I can talk again maybe I'll make use of that._

 _[][][][][][][][][]_

 _What on earth was that supposed to be?_

 _Sorry – that was laughter._

 _Have you considering trying "Hahaha" or "LOL"?_

 _Yes. Right. Of course. LOL!_

Donna's breathing had finally slowed to something approximating normal, so she sat up and then pulled herself to her feet. The hallway shuddered, more violently than before, and Donna stumbled a little.

"How much time is left?" She asked the empty hall.

 _One hour, forty seven minutes, ten seconds._

"Do they know that?"

 _I've put it up on the marquises for them. The evacuation is proceeding well._

Donna walked down the hall at a much slower pace than before, nursing an awful side stitch.

"How much farther?"

 _I'm at the end of the next hall._

"Thank goodness."

She made her way down the hall to the next turn. At the end of this new hall was a doorway much like the one to the Memory room the Doctor had taken her to before. The marquis above this door read "Central Computer".

"What, they locked you in the central computer room?" Donna said incredulously. "Did they really expect you to just sit there and not touch any of their important buttons?"

The Doctor made no reply. When Donna reached the door, it did not open immediately. Instead, Donna felt the pager buzz.

 _Ah, before I open this door, I just want to reiterate that I am_ fine, _okay? There is absolutely no cause for alarm._

"Then why do you feel the need to tell me that?"

 _Well it just… might look a little unsettling, is all. But really. I'm fine. Got it?_

"Got it."

 _Okay._

The door slid open, and there he was. Donna's breath caught. He was lying on a metal bed, not unlike the one in the Memory room, only tilted up at a slight angle. He was facing the door, but he was not looking at Donna, and his face betrayed no sign of joy at seeing her. Unsurprising, as Donna was fairly certain that he wasn't seeing her at all. His eyes were staring off into space, flickering rapidly back and forth, as if constantly looking from one thing to the next, and all the while his mouth moved as he muttered ceaselessly to himself. She could see some kind of wiring nestled against his cheeks and temples and slinking back around behind his head.

Donna took a few slow steps into the room, staring uncomprehendingly at the Doctor. A host of monitors surrounded him, filled with incomprehensible displays. She sped up until she was running to his side.

"Doctor?" she said, uncertainly. "Doctor, can you hear me?"

"Four six seven eight nine seven two seven seven seven eight one one," he muttered, the numbers coming in rapid succession. "Sixty two, sixty two, eighty nine…"

Her wrist buzzed, but it didn't even register.

"Doctor? Doctor come on, snap out of it, we have to go!"

Her wrist buzzed again. The room shook as the station shuddered, the atmosphere still striving to pull it apart. Donna laid a hand on the Doctor's arm. He gave no reaction. She gently touched the side of his face, feeling the wiring that snaked around his ear toward his temple. He continued to stare at something that only he could see.

"One five nine eleven eleven thirty thirty-nine ten…"

"Oh," Donna moaned, "what have they done to you?"

A sudden, loud noise right behind her made Donna jump and shriek, spinning around to see what was there. The display on the monitor next to her had changed, and after a moment in which she could register only the sound of her heart pounding in her ears Donna recognized the same chat program the Doctor had originally used to contact her. There was a line of messages waiting on the screen:

 _Donna_

 _Donna, over here_

 _Donna._

 _Look._

 _Over._

 _Here!_

 _Donna._

 _Donna Noble._

Then, finally, in large font and flashing letters:

 _DONNA NOBLE,_ OVER _._ HERE!

As she watched, another message appeared on the screen.

 _There now, that's better._

Donna's mind stalled, unable to reconcile the things she was seeing. Numbly, she put her hands on the keyboard.

 _Who are you?_ She typed.

 _It's still me,_ came the reply.

 _No it isn't!_ Donna typed angrily. _You're lying on a bed behind me in a coma or something! WHO IS THIS?_

 _Donna, I swear to you, it's me._ A pause. _Remember when you found me again? When we met the second time? We were both investigating Adipose. I wanted to know what they were up to; you were just looking for me. We had that mimed conversation between two doors across the room?_

Donna's thoughts whirled. She did remember. No one else here would know about that, would they?

 _How?_ She typed.

 _They're using me as the CPU for the central computer. Basically my brain is controlling the computer instead of my body right now. So I can type, I can open doors, fire thrusters, what have you._ _B_ _ut I can't move, and I can't speak._

"Twenty-six, eight, eight, thirteen, forty-nine…"

 _Well, apart from the random bits of data that are leaking out._

Donna's mind still felt like it was plodding along through concrete. But slowly, she began to remember.


	10. Chapter 10

_The Doctor craned his neck to get a better look at the thing embedded behind the panel in the wall._

" _This is quite impressive," he commented. All Donna could see was a sleek metal dome and a few flashing lights. "And you have these all over the station?" He asked, sounding incredulous._

" _Yes," Joanna replied, obviously pleased with herself. "We'll get data from every inch of the place."_

" _Yes, but what are you going to_ do _with it all?" The Doctor asked. "You're talking about a truly_ massive _set of data. The processing power you'd need to make sense of it all… this supercomputer of yours has to be quite something. I'm not sure… oh." His tone changed, suddenly flat. "Oh, I see now." He leaned back out from behind the panel and smiled up at Joanna. "This is a trap, isn't it?"_

 _Donna blinked. What?_

 _Joanna stiffened slightly, and she saw the two men with her reaching towards their sidearms._

" _It doesn't have to be," Joanna said carefully. "You could volunteer."_

" _Volunteer?" The Doctor repeated incredulously._

" _What_ are _the two of you going on about?" Donna demanded, irritated. They both looked at her, Joanna seeming surprised that she was still standing there, the Doctor looking deadly serious._

" _They need a super computer so powerful that there's no artificial processor made that could possibly run fast enough for it. They need the kind of complexity that you only find in the brain of a sentient being. And unless I miss my guess, a rather cognitively advanced being, at that. Such as, for instance, a Time Lord."_

 _Donna blinked, looking from the Doctor to Joanna. The other woman made no protest or denial._

" _You… you want his_ brain?" _Donna said, horrified._

" _No need to be so_ dramatic _about it," Joanna chided. "It's not as if we're going to open up his skull and take it. The system is designed to run with a living person as the processor and maintain all of their vital functions while they're plugged in. It's quite safe. I've tried it myself."_

 _Donna's jaw opened and closed a few times. There didn't seem to be anything to be said in reply to such a statement._

" _You won't feel a thing," Joanna continued, addressing the Doctor. "It's like being asleep. You'll be in and out before you know it. Just let us borrow you for long enough to cure this plague, and you're free to go your way."_

" _Even with all the data you get from this station, that will probably take years," the Doctor pointed out._

 _Joanna shrugged. "What's a few years to you? In the lifespan of a Time Lord, that's a drop in the bucket."_

" _And Donna?" the Doctor pressed. "Are you going to let me take her home, first, or is she just going to be waiting around until you're through with me? A few years aren't just a drop in the bucket to her."_

 _Joanna sighed. "I'd like to say yes, but I have no illusions that if I let you go now you'll ever come back. You have a bit of a reputation, you know."_

 _The Doctor nodded. "Just one more question. These 'immunes' you think you've located. Are you giving_ them _the option to 'volunteer'?"_

 _Joanna said nothing. But she didn't need to. The answer was written all over her face. The Doctor's hand made a sudden, quick movement behind the panel, and Donna was blinded by a flash of brilliant white light. Joanna and her men cried out in surprise. Donna felt a hand close around hers and pull her into a run._

" _Come on!" the Doctor's voice said urgently in her ear._

Donna blinked away the rush of memory.

 _I remember,_ she typed slowly.

She looked back at the Doctor on the table behind her, muttering and insensate. There were wires coming out of the bottom of the table at points all along his spine. There was another big bundle of wires near the back of his neck, right at the base of his skull.

 _Does it hurt?_ She finally typed.

 _No, n_ _ot at all,_ the Doctor replied at once. _I think_ _most of my nociceptive_ _neurons are actually completely shut down at the moment._

Donna nodded dumbly, still trying to wrap her mind around it.

 _Really,_ the Doctor continued, _it's been kind of fun since I got the hang of it. But I am_ more _than ready to come out now._

 _Right,_ Donna typed, her thoughts beginning to approach their normal speed. There was still work to do and not a lot of time to do it. _How do_ _I get you out_ _?_

 _I'm bringing up the protocol for extracting me now._

The screen on an adjacent monitor suddenly changed. A file appeared with a diagram of what looked like the bed the Doctor was lying on. The outline of a person was sketched on top of it, and the diagram was numbered at various points. Next to the diagram was a large block of text divided into numbered steps. The floor bucked a bit and Donna felt a small explosion reverberating through the floor and into her chest.

 _Read this over carefully. Take your time, and let me know if there's anything you don't understand. Once you get past about step seven I'm not going to be able to respond anymore, so you need to be sure you know what you're doing before that._

Donna bit her lip, looking at the long lines of technical instructions.

 _Remember the mind wiper, Donna,_ the Doctor said. _You handled that, you can handle this. I have faith in you._

Donna set her jaw and set to work. _Step by step,_ she told herself, and set to reading. _Step 1._ She put a finger on the screen and ran it along under the words as she read them, trying to focus and untangle the dense descriptions.

"Primary neural interface adaptor," Donna read. "What's that?"

 _That'd be the big plug in the back of my head._

"And these 'secondary cortical extensions' I need to retract?"

 _Ah, you can't actually see those, they're internal. That'll just be something you have to click in the neural interface submenu. Ooo, hold on I've got an idea._

The extraction protocol disappeared for a moment and a different window opened. Frenzied lines of code appeared on the screen, some incomprehensible program writing itself into existence. The protocol appeared again and a few parts of the diagram flashed red in turn. An error window appeared. The code came back, adjusted itself, then disappeared again. The protocol reappeared.

 _Alright, any term you don't understand, just mouse over it,_ the Doctor instructed.

Obediently, Donna swung the cursor over to where she had read _primary neural interface adaptor._ The words lit up red, as did the part of the diagram showing the big plug. Donna smiled.

"This'll help."

She moused over _secondary cortical extensions_. On the diagram, a network of red lines lit up inside the person's head, connecting back to the end of the big plug. Donna shuddered. With the Doctor's new program running she soon felt she had a reasonable grasp on what all the different parts of the machine she was required to manipulate were. It would still be some time yet before she understood what she was supposed to do with them all.

"So when it says disconnect the primary adaptor I just pull it out?"

 _No, no, no, no! '_ _D_ _isconnect' means tell the computer to stop communicating with it. If you just pull it out while I'm still connected you're going to give me some kind of horrible mental whiplash._

"Right, right sorry… so that's one of the things in this menu over here?"

 _Right. Up until step nineteen you're just working on the computer, shutting down all the links between me and the machine._ Then _you can start removing the hardware._

"Ok."

Donna went over the protocol a few more times, muttering to herself and tapping the screen.

"That'll be an option over here, check this box, this box, and that one… close all biomonitoring programs… remove temporal and maxillary leads…"

The floor of the station shook again, and this time the lights flickered. The tremors had been getting more and more insistent while Donna had been working, and it seemed as if the temperature in the room had risen a few degrees, although she might have been imagining it.

"How much time do we have left?" Donna asked.

 _Fifty eight minutes, fifty two seconds,_ the Doctor reported. A screen on the other side of him had switched to displaying a diagram of the station's orbit around the planet and a long list of figures describing their situation as the Doctor spoke. Donna shook her head. No wonder his time estimates had always been so precise.

"Alright, I'm going to get started."

 _You're sure you're ready? You still have plenty of time, Donna, there's no need to rush._

Donna shook her head.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be. I'm getting you out of there, Doctor."

 _Be careful,_ he said. _And thank you._

Donna exhaled deeply, and set to work as the floor below her shook and creaked ominously. Carefully, deliberately, she opened each menu in turn, checking and double checking her instructions. Click here, then here, then there. Close. Next menu. Before long she had reached step seven. She paused, mouse hovering over the last button.

"What about Joanna's people? Will they be able to get in here once I disconnect you?"

 _A lot of them have already been pulled away to help with the evacuation. I'll lock down everything I can before you pull me out. It won't be as effective without me controlling it, but it should still buy us enough time._

"Alright," Donna took another deep breath. No more life lines after this. "Talk to you soon."

She clicked the button. Nothing really seemed to change, but somehow the room still felt emptier.

"Sixteen, forty-two, forty-two, zero, nine, one, twenty…"

Donna was lost in a maze of menus and submenus. All the names were beginning to look alike. Was _trigeminal impulse routing_ the menu she was looking for or was there actually another menu called _trigeminal impulse route_ somewhere that she had overlooked? Most times the answer became obvious with a few minutes of searching, but once or twice Donna was forced to simply guess, feeling extremely nervous as she did so.

Finally, all that remained was to disentangle the Doctor from the mess of wiring that surrounded him. Carefully, she lifted the wiring away from his face and let it drop to the bed on either side of his head.

"Four, eighty-seven, ninety-one, fifty-two, seventy, seventy, forty-four, four…"

The Doctor's strange litany had never slowed. Donna crawled underneath the table and began pulling out the spinal leads, one by one, working her way up the Doctor's back to his neck. Finally, only the great plug at the very base of his skull remained. Gently, Donna took hold and pulled the thing out.

"Sixty-three – "

Silence. The Doctor stopped speaking, and the sudden absence of the numbers was so stark Donna almost felt dizzy. Coming out from beneath the table she stood and regarded the Doctor anxiously. He'd closed his mouth. His eyes were still flickering back and forth, like before, like he was looking for something. But a slight frown line had appeared between his brows. He blinked, and then his eyes flicked to her face. For the first time they stopped. Then they focused.

"Donna!" The Doctor cried, breaking into a grin. "You did it!"

He threw himself up and made it half way to a sitting position before he suddenly cried out and collapsed back to the bed, groaning and throwing his arm over his eyes.

"Oh…" he moaned. "Oh, _now_ it hurts."

"Are you ok?" Donna asked, alarmed.

"No!" the Doctor snapped. "I have got a headache like you would not be _lieve!_ " He shifted his arm to uncover one eye and regarded her seriously, shaking an admonishing finger at her. "Never use your brain to run a supercomputer, Donna," he said. "It's very uncomfortable."

A horrific grinding noise filtered up through the floor and the room bucked.

"Alright, help me up," the Doctor said, holding an arm out to Donna. "I haven't moved very much in a while, so I don't know how well this is going to go."

Donna helped pull the Doctor up into a sitting position, putting his arm over her shoulders and lifting him up with her arm behind his back. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, preparing to stand.

"It was you," said a voice in the doorway, sounding shocked, betrayed. Both their heads spun toward the door. Nancy was standing there, holding a brown leather bag, staring at them with wide eyes. At first Donna thought the young woman was talking to her, but she realized it was the Doctor who held her gaze. "They told me it was you, but I never thought… it shouldn't have been possible, and besides… why? We did our part."

"Because this isn't _right_ , Nancy," the Doctor replied, through gritted teeth. "I know you know that."

"We aren't hurting anyone," she whispered plaintively.

"This is what you meant, isn't it?" Donna said sharply, the pieces slowly coming together in her head. "This is what you meant when you said you 'took care' of the central computer. You _knew!_ "

The room shook again and the lights went out for a few seconds.

"Look," the Doctor told Nancy, who still stood, stunned, in the doorway. "It's done now. You can either help us or get yourself to an escape pod, but I'm not going back in there." He nodded toward the head of the bed behind him. Then he nodded to Donna and slid off the bed and onto his feet.

With Donna supporting him his legs managed to hold him for about half a second before his knees buckled. The Doctor grunted in surprise and his weight bore them both to the ground. Donna managed to bring him to rest in a sitting position at the base of the bed. He leaned back against it and groaned in frustration.

"Oh," Nancy sighed in resignation. She hurried across the room toward them, pulling her bag open in front of her. "Here, let me."

She dropped down on the other side of the Doctor from Donna, pulling some sort of metal cylinder out of the bag.

"What's that?" Donna demanded suspiciously.

"It's alright, Donna," the Doctor said, allowing Nancy to tilt his head slightly to the side and press the metal cylinder up against his neck. "We can trust her."

There was a quiet hiss and through a window in the side of the tube Donna could see a cloudy liquid vanish. Nancy pulled the empty cylinder away and tucked it back into her bag, rubbing her thumb twice across the injection site.

"Trust her? She's the one who plugged you into that thing!" Donna protested.

"And kept me safe while I was in there," the Doctor replied. "Not to mention looking after you at my request. Trust me, Donna. If it weren't for Nancy, I would be a lot worse off than I am right now."

Donna turned a measuring gaze on Nancy, who turned her eyes downward, her posture stiff as she rooted through her bag.

"That was a nanomusculoskeletal reinforcement," she explained. "The system was designed to limit musculoskeletal degeneration during prolonged recumbency, but some amount of atrophy is unavoidable. The nanobots will integrate with your remaining musculature and strengthen it until you've had a chance to recover." Her hand came back out of the bag holding a penlight. The room shook around them. "We'll need to give that another minute to start working."

"You came prepared," the Doctor noted.

"I was coming to get you out of here," Nancy replied sharply. She tapped the Doctor on the back of the head until he leaned forward enough for her to inspect the site where the plug had been. "Joanna still thinks she can save the place somehow if she gets to you, but we're not repairing blown orbital thrusters with a supercomputer. This station is going down, and I didn't think anyone else was worrying about getting you off it. I didn't realize I was dealing with an escape attempt in progress."

"How did you get in, anyway?" the Doctor asked.

Nancy shrugged and allowed the Doctor to lean back again, evidently satisfied with the state of his neck. She shined the penlight into his eyes, examining first one, then the other.

"I bypassed the lock on one of the doors. Everyone else has given up trying that, but I thought maybe I could manage it. Look here," she commanded, holding up a finger. She slowly moved the finger up, then down, watching the Doctor's eyes while they followed it.

"You must have tried it after Donna disconnected me from the infrastructure. It would work for anyone now that I'm not there to oppose it."

Nancy brought her finger level with the Doctor's eyes again and moved it left to right to left a few times, frowning at what she saw.

"Well, it looks like she didn't get you quite cut off from the data stream before she unplugged you," Nancy said, shooting a look at Donna that was so quick Donna almost missed the hint of disapproval in her eyes. "I don't envy the headache you must have, but there's nothing I can do about that now. You'll just have to wait until it passes." She did not sound terribly sorry about this as she clicked the penlight off and returned it to her bag. "Otherwise you look fine. Side effects should be mild, but you can probably expect some lack of coordination while your nervous system re-adapts to its original function."

"Brilliant," the Doctor said. "Thanks for that."

"Thanks for dooming my planet," Nancy responded, zipping her bag shut. "Now see if you can stand."


	11. Chapter 11

With Nancy and Donna each holding one of his arms, the Doctor once again got to his feet. This time his legs held him.

"Ah, that's much better," the Doctor said. He took his arms back from the two women and stood on his own, stabilizing himself against the table when he wobbled slightly. The station shook again, but with the table's help the Doctor kept his feet. "We'd better get moving. We've got a little more than twenty minutes. Come on, the Tardis is back in the residential area."

He sped to the door, tripping a few times along the way. Donna and Nancy caught up with him as he reached the end of the hallway and stopped dead, looking about with a quizzical expression on his face.

"Where on earth are we?" he asked.

"What are you talking about?" Donna asked. "You just led me down this hallway. Look, it's this way," she said, brushing past him. "Don't you remember?"

"I do," the Doctor said, running to catch up while still regarding his surroundings with a furrowed brow. "It's just sort of disorienting, seeing it all this way. You know. With eyes. And not all at once."

Nancy was regarding the Doctor with a frown.

"Was he supposed to be like this when he came out?" Donna asked as they all spun around a corner.

"He was never supposed to be consciously aware of being in the computer," Nancy explained, shaking her head. "Our beta testers all described the experience as being like falling asleep when they were plugged in and then waking up once they were unplugged. They didn't remember anything about being the computer, and they certainly couldn't consciously control the colony's systems. I don't know how he did it."

The hallway rumbled and the lights flickered.

"Well, you didn't exactly have the chance to test it on a Time Lord, did you?" the Doctor replied. "We're wired a bit differently."

Donna snorted. "I'll say."

"Oi!" the Doctor replied.

A door came into view up ahead.

"There," Donna said. "That's the door you brought me into your little safe zone through." The panel beside it was lit up red. "It's still locked!" Donna slowed as she reached it.

"I've got it," the Doctor replied. Then he twisted in a bizarre fashion, one leg turning out to the side and bending while his arm swung out at an awkward angle. A look of surprise and alarm came over his face as he went crashing to the floor.

"Careful!" Nancy shouted, as Donna cried out in surprise. Collecting herself, Donna moved to help him, but he was already picking himself back up.

"Sorry!" he said. "Sorry! I'm fine."

"What on earth was _that?_ " Donna demanded.

"I just tried to open the door like I was still the computer." He brushed himself off as the lights flickered, then pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "Let's try this instead, eh?"

The sonic whirred and the light on the panel changed from red to green.

"Be more careful, will you?" Donna said irritably.

"I was a _space station_ for the past three weeks," he replied sharply. "You'll forgive me if it takes a couple minutes before I get the hang of being a person again."

The door swung open in front of them.

"Shut up and run!" Donna told him.

They ran, Donna leading the way back to the lift, the marquises overhead ominously counting down. Eighteen minutes. They reached the lift.

"Can you call it?" Donna asked the Doctor.

"Never use a lift in an emergency!" the Doctor said, stepping into the shaft and stumbling a bit over the uneven footing. "Don't they teach you that?"

He grabbed the rungs and started up.

"Oh, brilliant," Donna said, stepping up after him. "I just love ladders."

"Well at least you've got a fully functional nervous system," the Doctor grunted. Watching him, Donna saw him reach for the next rung, miss completely, and have to try again before his hand made contact. Then his foot groped about in empty space for a while before finding the next rung.

"Are you sure you can do this?" she asked.

"Yes, of course," the Doctor said. "I'm just not entirely sure where my feet are," he added after a moment.

"Oh, that's comforting. You'd better not fall on me."

"His symptoms do appear to be resolving at an accelerated rate compared to our beta testers," Nancy offered encouragingly.

With the Doctor's difficulty it was several minutes before they reached the level where Donna had entered the shafts before, but the Doctor climbed right past it.

"Doctor!" Donna said. "This is where you let me into the shaft."

"Is it?" he said in surprise.

"Yes. Come on, get the door!"

"Not just yet," he said. "The connection to the residential sector was above that, remember? We've got to keep climbing."

Donna let out a groan.

"How many more levels?"

"Ah…"

"Just two more!" Nancy called from below them.

They clambered past one more set of lift doors before their destination finally came into sight.

"Those are the ones we want," Nancy called.

"Thank you, Nancy," the Doctor said. Then he jerked oddly and dropped about a foot, kicking the wall and nearly kicking Donna in the face. He likely would have fallen from the ladder if one arm hadn't gotten caught over one of the rungs and wedged against the wall, keeping him in place.

"Agh!" he said, wincing and hastily righting himself.

"What was _that?_ " Donna demanded.

"Ah… that was me, trying to open the door again," he said sheepishly.

"Will you _stop_ that? You're gonna get us both killed!"

"I'm _trying._ "

He sonicked the door open and managed to climb his way out of the shaft, then turned around and offered a hand to Donna.

"Thanks," she said, hauling herself up over the ledge without his help. "But I'm not sure that's such a good idea just now."

"Fair point," the Doctor said, dropping his hand.

Donna looked around. The décor here reminded her of that first night in the hospital, but she didn't think she recognized this particular hallway.

"Now which way?" she said.

"Over here," Nancy's voice said. The Doctor's eyes flicked past her and then Nancy marched past them both and down the hall. The marquises overhead gave them about eight minutes. They broke into a run once again. Up ahead, the massive metal doors of the biolock came into view. Donna broke into a grin.

"Not much farther now, Doctor!" Donna called. The marquis gave them just under seven minutes. Plenty of time. They piled into the decontamination chamber, where Nancy gave the sofa and the loose grate an interested glance.

"We can find our own way from here," the Doctor assured Nancy. "If you want to make it to an escape pod, you'd better go now."

"I'd rather make sure you're alright," she said hesitantly.

The Doctor shrugged.

"Well, I suppose we can give you a lift." He twitched and caught himself against the wall. "Oh, for heaven's sake..." He pulled out his sonic and opened the door. "Donna, which way?"

"Follow me!"

They sprinted down the abandoned halls of the residential corridor, the walls vibrating around them as the station continued to shake itself to pieces. The groans of metal sheets tearing themselves away from the outer hull came every few seconds. A strange humming rose about them.

"What is that _noise?_ " Donna panted.

"It's the walls," the Doctor said.

Donna headed for the lift she'd used hours – was it only hours? – ago when she'd found the abandoned Tardis.

"Hold on," she said, braking suddenly. Surprised, the others pulled up short, Nancy succeeding in stopping just down the hall from Donna while the Doctor ended up overbalancing and falling over. "Oh, sorry," Donna said, "but we'd better take the stairs."

"Fine, good, just go!" the Doctor said as he got back to his feet.

They sped back down the hall to the staircase and pelted up it.

"It's just down this hall!"

One of these rooms on the left… there! Donna recognized the lonely storeroom where she'd found the Tardis.

"This one!" Donna said, hitting the door panel. Nothing happened, but the Doctor stopped himself against the wall and sonicked it open. "It's just over this way!" Donna said, leading the way into the room.

"That's far enough."


	12. Chapter 12

Joanna stepped from behind a crate and stopped smoothly in their path, a silvery blue pistol trained on them. The Tardis stood just behind her. The floor shook, and the Doctor caught himself on Donna's shoulder, managing to stop without tumbling to the ground this time.

"I don't know how you did it, Doctor, but you're going right back in that computer. _Now._ We aren't finished here, yet."

"Yes we are, Joanna," Nancy said. Joanna's eyes flashed with annoyance as she spotted the younger woman stepping up beside Donna and the Doctor.

"Nancy." Joanna said coolly. "I should have known you'd take his side in the end."

"It's not a question of sides!" Nancy said, her voice squeaking a little with indignation. "The thrusters are _gone_ , Joanna. Nobody can fix it. This place is going down and we need to leave. _Now._ "

The floor shuddered, and this time Donna stumbled too. She reached out a hand to steady the Doctor.

"We've only got a minute left, if that," the Doctor told Joanna. "Come on."

He took a step forward, then froze as Joanna cocked her gun. There were tears running down her face.

"We could have stopped it," Joanna breathed. "The answer is in the data, somewhere. We just needed a few years. Was that too much to ask?"

"It's over now," the Doctor said slowly, stepping toward her again. "There's no point in anyone dying over this. You're not a killer, Joanna."

She let the gun fall to her side. Sniffing, she wiped back her tears.

"No," she said. "I'm not. But you are."

"Not really," the Doctor said. He grabbed her hand and looked back at Donna and Nancy " _Come on!_ "

Towing the surprised Joanna along behind him, he sped to the Tardis door and threw it open. The lights flicked on as he entered and he stopped, beaming, while Joanna looked around herself in startlement.

"Hello, old girl!" the Doctor said. "Did you miss me?"

"Doctor!" Donna urged.

"Right!" He dropped Joanna's hand and leapt up the steps, nearly falling flat on his face in the process but managing to catch himself against the console instead. He quickly adjusted a series of switches and dials on the console. Donna heard Nancy gasping as she stepped into the Tardis and shut the door behind her. The Doctor's eyes flicked up from the console to sweep over each of the three of them as if doing a head count before he finally moved to throw the last lever. The rushing wheeze of the Tardis swelled up around them for a moment, and the Doctor straightened with a self-satisfied grin.

"There we are," he said contentedly.

"Are we safe?" Nancy asked doubtfully.

"Safe as houses! We're on the surface."

"What, just like that?"

"Can you take us back?" Joanna said suddenly.

"What?" the Doctor said.

"Are you crazy? We'll be killed!" Donna said.

"Not back on the station," Joanna said. "But back to it. Near it. I just… it was my project. My life's work. I just want to see it. See how it ends, I suppose."

"Yeah," the Doctor said gently. "Alright."

He adjusted a dial and eased the lever forward. The Tardis breathed. The Doctor came back down the steps and brushed past Donna to the door. Nancy stepped out of his way and Joanna followed him over to it, slowly. He pulled it open.

They were floating in empty space. A blue green planet, not so unlike earth, loomed large before them, and the blackness around them was streaked with bright orange lights, all streaking toward the planet, one light far larger than all the rest.

"That's Lanassa Colony," the Doctor said, pointing toward it. Joanna stared in silence as the little lantern streaked its way toward the planet. It must have been moving terribly fast, but with the distance of space, its mad fall had taken on a peaceful, floating quality. As they watched it seemed to dwindle, consumed either by fire or distance, the light growing slowly dimmer. Then it flared, briefly, like someone blowing on a flame. Orange dust seemed to puff out in all directions, and then all at once, it subsided into darkness.

"Gone now," the Doctor said.

Joanna turned, silently, and regarded the other part of the sky, which was still streaked with tiny orange lights, making their own way toward the surface.

"I suppose those are the colonists," Joanna said.

"And the patients," the Doctor said. "And your staff."

"Did everyone make it?" Nancy asked nervously.

"I think so," the Doctor said. "They weren't quite finished when Donna pulled me out, but they were on track."

"As if it matters," Joanna said. "We're all dead anyway. This plague will keep spreading. In a decade or so, the Stovians will be an extinct species."

"Don't go giving up," the Doctor said. "You've still got time."

"Time to do what, exactly? We'll never be able to catch those immunes again," she said, nodding toward the fading lights, "not now that they know we're after them."

"So don't catch them," Donna said, causing both of them to turn to look at her. " _Ask_ them."

Joanna snorted.

"They'd never agree," she said. "They'd have to give up years of their lives."

"How do you know, if you haven't asked?" Donna said. "Have you talked with them? Some of them want this plague cured just as badly as you do."

"They won't," Joanna said. "Certainly not after what we've already done."

"Maybe," Donna said. "But could it hurt to try?"

Joanna fell silent, thoughtful.

"You might be surprised what happens when you try doing things the right way," the Doctor said. "But in any event," he closed the door and spun, wobbled, caught himself against the railing, then walked back to the console. "It's time to let you and Nancy off." He looked up at Joanna seriously. "Would you like to meet them?"

Joanna looked at him and worked her jaw. Then she took a deep breath, reached up, and re-did the tie that held back her hair.

"Alright," she said. "The right way."

The Doctor smiled, then turned his head.

"Nancy?"

Nancy shrugged. "I don't suppose she'll need me, anymore. No more biocomputer system to deal with. I'd like to go home and see my folks, if you think you could manage."

"Not a problem," the Doctor said. "Well. I can probably guarantee the town, the house…" he trailed off. Nancy giggled.

"That'll do."

* * *

The Tardis vworped one last time, and Donna and the Doctor were alone in the time vortex. He fiddled a few more controls and then looked up at her.

"How are you doing?" he asked her. She smiled.

"I'm good," she said.

"Memory coming back at all?"

"Slowly," Donna nodded. "It's all bits and pieces still, but I'm figuring it out." She came around the console to sit on the bench next to where he was still standing.

"It'll all come back, eventually," he said.

"There is one thing, though."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"Did you know?" Donna asked. "When you agreed to let them plug you into that thing, did you know you'd be able to control it?"

"Oh. No," he said. "No, not really."

Donna smiled at him.

"Thank you," she said.

The Doctor gave her a smile that was pleasantly surprised.

"You're welcome," he said.

"But don't you _dare_ do something like that again, you idiot!" Donna all but shouted. The Doctor took an involuntary step back. "We could both have been stuck there for _years,_ you realize that? What would mum and granddad have thought? And not just us, but all those people, too!"

"Well, yes, but…" the Doctor sputtered. "Donna, you would have _died!_ "

"You could have thought of something else!"

"And so could you!" the Doctor said. "If it hadn't worked out the way it did, if I hadn't been able to wake up and control that computer, you would have figured it out eventually. I saw you back there, Donna. You did good."

Donna's tirade left her. She paused a moment.

"Yeah," she said. "I guess I did."

She smiled at him again, and he smiled back.

"So!" he said clapping his hands and spinning back to the console, a motion which caused his knee to buckle and pitch him up against the console. "Ah, blast it all! That is… that is really getting annoying," he muttered. Then his enthusiasm returned. "Never mind. Where to next?"

"Quick stop by home?" Donna said. "I'd like to drop by mum and granddad. You know."

"Of course," the Doctor said, hiding a grimace at the mention of her mother.

"Then… someplace with a _beach,_ " she said. "And no computers!"

The Doctor grinned.

"Brilliant!"


End file.
